I found myself on the end of a sledge hammer one day this week. The boys and I had a project that required some hard labor pounding sledge hammers. Like the old saying goes, "We worked from can to can't." Before we started Taylor said he would work out no matter what. Some eight hours later he changed his mind. We all got a differed work out in the school of hard manual labor.
We worked up a sweat rotating between two twelve pound hammers. Our backs ached. Our hands grew swollen. Our shoulders grew weary. And our resolve weakened with every swing of those hammers. Near the end they felt like twelve thousand pound hammers.
Periodically I looked to see how much work we had left. Disheartened I put my head down and kept pounding. Blow after blow. Blunt force after blunt force. Drop of sweat after drop of sweat. Hour after hour we pounded until by the force of our labor and the resolve of our will the obstacle yielded.
When we finished I took a bath. I never take baths preferring the efficient of the shower. I soaked in a tub of warm water and told Brenda not to wait for me for dinner. In that moment I don't own what felt better. The relief from a long hard day of work. Or the dread of having to do more of the same the next day. The last time I felt that way was a weekend of hauling hay.
It has been a long week of physical labor. I am proud of my boys. They worked HARD. They did not complain. Even after early morning workouts, a day at school, they worked from lunch until after dinner that day (two of them got out school early and Taylor is home from college.)
Like so many other things in life there are lessons to be learned at the end of a sledge hammer.
1. There are obstacles in life. Some bigger than others. Something stands in the way from where we are and where God wants us to be. There are no easy ways to get around the obstacles. Praying for mountains to move can feel like pounding a hammer. By faith we believe God to move our obstacles. [Mark 11:23-24]
2. In life you have to keep pounding. Even when you are tired, discouraged, and have lost your resolve to keep going to have to endure and keep pounding. When everything in you screams to quit, give up, walk away, and throw in the towel you have to pound with perseverance. [Gal 6:9] [Ps 27:13-14] Sometimes it may not seem like you are making much progress but with God's help slow and steady wins the race. You must keep plodding through life and pounding your hammer on the anvil God has put before you. I know quitting seems like a better option. It is easier. DON'T GIVE UP. DON'T QUT TRUSTING GOD NOW. You have come to far to turn back now. Take another swing. Then another. Keep slinging your hammer. The breakthrough will come, the harvest will come, the mountain will move, and the circumstances will change.
3. Take the long view. Keep your eyes on the end result. When you are weary and and your resolve wanes keep the goal in mind. Encourage yourself with the truth just as there is a starting point there is also an ending point. One day this life will end for each of us. No matter how hard our journey may be the redeemed will leave this world. Heaven in the presence of the Lord Jesus will be worth all we endured. The suffering will end. The trials will fade. Hard toil will cease. Tears will be wiped away. Sorrows will get soothed. Keep your eyes on that goal. Set your mind on the things above and not on the things of this earth. [Col 3:2]
4. Enjoy the people you journey with in life. The journey may not be pleasant all the time. Pounding your hammer may not be easy. You can still enjoy the journey. You can still enjoy the people you journey through life along side. The people in our life make the journey a little easier. Family and friends in health situations provide unconditional love, encouragement, and support. They spur us on when we feel like quitting. That is why it is important to be connected to a body of believers in the context of a local church. [Heb 10:24-25] We need people. We need the body of Christ. We need their prayers and help along life's pilgrimage. Take time to enjoy the people God puts in your life to journey along side. Don't take people for granted. Take snap shots of the heart. Let the memories you build with family, friends, and church family leave deep imprints on the mind.
5. Finish. Whatever it is God has put before you to do finish. Noah built the ark. Moses delivered Israel from Egypt. Joseph kept finding favor with God in the little things and God promoted him to bigger things. David conquered his enemies and built a strong nation. Paul preached the gospel and wrote most of the New Testament enduring persecution. They all finished. They all completed what God called them to do. Finish the task God has put before you. Finish the work God has assigned to you. Read that book. Earn that degree. Go on that mission trip. Run that marathon. Teach that class. Pastor that flock. Finish. Finishing is a habit just like quitting. Cultivate the habit of finishing. [Heb 12:1]
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