There is an old saying, "Haste makes waste." This is true in so many cases. This morning I was in a hurry as I loaded the dishwasher. There was no particular reason for my rush. I guess I just wanted to be through with the job. Anyway, when I pulled the top rack out to begin my loading, it came off its track.
Oh, no permanent damage was done. I just had to work with it a little bit to get it back on its track so it would roll properly. When it happened, it stuck and I could not move it into the machine to close the door, nor could I pull it out far enough to load dishes into it. Nonetheless, I was able to get it fixed 'all by myself,' as young children say sometimes.
If I had broken my dishwasher, I would have been in a mess for sure! I was thankful that didn't happen; but it got me to thinking. There were times in my life when getting in a hurry did get me in a mess. When I was younger, I made hasty decisions fairly often. Sometimes I still do. :(
Obviously this usually isn't the best way to go. Major decisions need to be weighed carefully in our minds. Pros and cons both need to be considered. Take for instance, a new job offer. The salary may be higher than your current one; but what about the work load and hours required? The extra responsibility and time away from family may not be worth the extra money.
A job is just one example of why we shouldn't make decisions in a hurry. Choosing a life partner is even more important. We should never allow ourselves to be carried away in the emotion of a moment and make a monumental decision which could effect the rest of our lives. I know some quick romances last for years; but even then at the very least we should make sure our potential partner understands we are committed to Christ first and foremost.
These examples are more obvious than others. We've all been with a group of people and felt the pressure to do something we know is not right. Take gossip for instance. Say we are in the break area and someone shares private information about a co-worker.
Do they expect us to join in the talk? Do we have to take a turn sharing information about someone when we know the person would not want this tidbit to become public information? Making a quick, spur of the moment decision to tell something we know would be hurtful. could damage a friendship, destroy a person's reputation and cause our soul to be lost.
There are so many instances when getting in a hurry can be a dangerous thing - whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. Flying off the handle and losing our temper or jumping to conclusions can be really dangerous. We should remember to think before we act or speak because being in a hurry could land us in big trouble!
Cutting corners at work just to get a job done could hurt your reputation as a good employee. Making snap judgments about people or new ideas is also spiritually dangerous. It could cause you to be unkind and unloving which is not Christlike behavior.
Avoiding new ideas can keep you from learning and growing. If we aren't willing to grow, we end up on the losing side of life. This is true in our workplace, in our homes and in our relationship with God.
If we make up our mind about someone before we get to know them, we may be missing out on a great friendship. We may lose an opportunity to teach someone about God. Either way, we are missing untold blessings. We would never want someone to form such a quick opinion of us, would we? It is never right to prejudge anyone.
So my friends - don't get in a hurry! Let's take our time. Do our work the right way. Be careful about making decisions too quickly. Choose wisely with all factors taken into account. Consider the consequences of allowing social pressure to guide our actions.
Let's think before we act or speak. Let's hold our temper. Let's not jump to conclusions or form opinions about new ideas without knowing all the details. And we should never, never make up our minds about a person without getting to know them first.
Life is way too short to be in a hurry about anything!
"Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 29:20)
Christ above all things,
Robin
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