Sharpen the Ax

One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had.
"I don't get it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did."
"But you didn't notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest."

Luke 5:15-16, "But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray." Of all of the wonderful truths we observe in the life of Jesus, this truth is often overlooked. After the demands of life and ministry, the Bible records for our benefit, "Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."

If Jesus needed to get away from the demands of life to recharge His batteries, then how much more you and me? We are to be imitators of Christ. So, let's learn how to pull away, rest and talk to our Heavenly Father, just like Jesus.

Here are a few suggestions. Eliminate “hurry” from your life. John Ortberg asked a wise friend what needed to be done to be more spiritually healthy. The reply, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Famous turn of the century psychologist Carl Jung wrote, "Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the devil.” Ortberg wrote, “For many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.” You can be busy without being in a hurry!

Here is a radical idea, "Just say, 'NO.'" Say no to almost everything. Let your priorities determine your schedule. Learn how to practice daily solitude. Here's how to do it:
Turn Off and Tune Out (TV, internet, and/or telephone)
Find a place to be alone
Invest that time with God
Invest that time in rest
Invite Jesus into your moment
Replay video of your day
Move from one scene to other
Pray for people & situations; ask forgiveness
Seek Guidance

Jesus took time to refresh (sharpen the ax), perhaps we should also!

Peace,

Stan