The Key to A Good Job

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage— with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Before painting walls, trim, bookcases, furniture, or even entire houses, you must first finish spackling, cleaning, and taping. These laborious and time-consuming tasks are about as exciting as watching grass grow. But they are necessary. The reason we go through the ordeal of sanding, scraping, and spackling is stated in bold letters on every paint can: The key to a good job is preparation. No truer words were ever written.

Think of all the preparation we do. We prepare for college, for job interviews, for retirement, and, hopefully, for death. Our lives are built on preparation.

A sturdy young man lacked self-confidence, but he asked a farmer for a job as a farmhand.

“What can you do?” inquired the farmer.

“I can do whatever has to be done, and I can sleep when the wind blows,” replied the applicant.

Although mystified by the phrase “I can sleep when the wind blows,” the farmer did not press the question but hired the young man.

Some nights later, a violent storm awoke the farmer. He got up and tried unsuccessfully to arouse the farmhand. With considerable annoyance, he then went out himself to see if all was well. He found the barn locked, the chicken coop properly closed up, a wagonload of hay covered with a tarpaulin securely battened down, and all else safely secured. Then the farmer realized what his new farmhand meant when he said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Few things are as needed for a job well-done as is adequate preparation. It’s the key.

Prayer

God, help me to become better prepared for . . .