I must say I haven’t needed to use an axe very often in my life. With all the modern conveniences available to me, such as gas barbeques to cook and radiators and air conditioning for heat, I have had no reason to use an axe to chop wood to make a fire to either cook or keep warm.
However, it has been very different for many other people due to their own living situations. They have had to use and continue to use an axe!
As I thought about this theme, I felt the need to use the imagery of a sharp axe to encourage us to plan and prepare for life in whatever activities we are involved in.
Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend four hours sharpening the axe.” The idea is that a dull axe will multiply the amount of energy and action required to chop down a tree. A sharp axe will make quick and effective work of the task.
I read the following appropriate statement from an unknown author: “A useful axe must be sharp, but to have a sharp axe you must be willing to be put on the grindstone”. In a similar way, if you want to live a life that is useful in service to God, you must be willing to allow him to put you on the grindstone of trials and testings so that you may be made sharp through loss.
We all, at some point during our lives, encounter loss and hardship. How much easier it is for us if we are prepared to live through these predicaments?
I want to suggest the value of taking time to research, read and reflect and then approach the tasks before you with the right tools and knowledge. When the axe is sharp, it cuts quickly. Making preparations in our lives for the journey ahead is so important.
When we have a plan, we are nearly always more successful. As Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Grabbing the sharpened axe firmly and then acting within the allotted time will lead to greater results.
These thoughts have led me to the challenges before us as Community of Christ in Australia. At our recent Australian Mission Conference, Annie Falcke and Julie Crittenden put forward challenges to us in their messages.
I have taken some of the action words and phrases used by Annie and Julie and quoted them here for you to dwell upon: discipleship; calling; onward; transformation; evolving; adapt; create fertile ground; cultivating environments; grow into the future; may our vision be clear and our hearts full of hope; people are starving for meaning, for belonging and for love; step boldly into the possibilities before us. These are challenging words for each of us to grasp and incorporate into our discipleship as we sharpen our axes to be keen and honed to bring the ministry of Christ to others.
May our God bless us with enthusiasm and the will to sharpen our axes to venture into new environments to serve.
Bill Gillard