Abe Outsmarted Me?

A while back, I was walking through a forest, and I came across a big ol’ tree lying by the path. As any rational person would do, I decided to chop it in half. I got my axe with its blunted and chipped blade and started hacking away at it. The next few days, I would always head over there in the evenings and put in an hour or so of chopping before sunset.

After donating a pint of blood to the local mosquito community and being named an honorary member of the beaver species, I came across a quote by the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln. It goes, ‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.’ Gee, thanks, Abe. I could have used that wisdom a bit earlier.

While I certainly don’t like getting schooled by a man in a top hat, that quote got me thinking…he might actually have a good point. In which ways is a sharp axe better than a dull one, and how does that apply to my life?

Let’s take a step back. What is the purpose of an axe? Like all tools, it is used to exert the will of the person using it. The better the tool, the better it can get a job done. A sharpened axe will fell a tree much cleaner and quicker than an axe with a blunt, rusty blade.

What if I put myself in the place of the axe? What is my purpose?

Above all, it is to serve God. And to serve Him well, I must always return to the whetstone, taking the talents God has given me and sharpening them.

Refining my character and faith daily, building my courage and discipline, growing in humility and knowledge, putting God’s will before my own, and allowing Him to change me – that is how I set myself up to serve.

For, what use am I if I remain a blunt axe with a blade that chips when put to the test? What use am I if I throw away my talents, let my heart drift away from God, allow my mind to succumb to pleasure, and my body to grow weak? Not only can I not serve and provide for others, but I may even become a burden and drag others down. That would not be living for the Lord to the best of my ability, and such behavior would certainly not be telling Him to use me as He sees fit.

Now, you may be wondering: to what degree is this ‘honing of skills’ – if you will – required?

What if I am naturally timid or have always struggled with discipline?

We have all been dealt a different hand. We all have our struggles and weaknesses. Is that a reason to throw in the towel and give up?

‘I’m just not a humble guy; oh well, there’s nothing I can do about that.’ – That is not the right attitude. I might not be the most humble or courageous person out there. But I can move closer to God, work on that humility, and become more courageous.

So, what has chopping away at a tree taught me?

If I am a weak man - someone who has taken his God-given gifts and not developed them or perhaps has only developed them to fulfill his own desires - I have little to offer. I cannot serve my family or God.

But if I choose to embrace both my strengths and my faults and do the best I can with them and use them not to exert my own will but to have God work through me, then I am a man who can provide. Then, I can make a difference. Then, I am an axe prepared for the tasks required of me, and I can live according to His will.

And while an axe has very few uses - I primarily use it to chop down trees and spread delicious jams and jellies on my bread - we humans are not so limited. The more people I meet, the more I realize how different and versatile these talents are that we have all been given.

Oh, and one more important sidenote: If I manage to chop this log in half in under six hours, would that mean I outperformed Abraham Lincoln?

I kind of like the thought of that.