February 15, 2018
You have treasure on the inside – gifts, talent, potential – put in you by the Creator of the Universe. But those gifts will not automatically come out. They have to be developed.
I read once that the wealthiest places on earth are not the oil fields of the Middle East or the diamond mines of South Africa. The wealthiest places on earth are the cemeteries. Because buried in that ground are businesses that were never born, books that were never written, songs that were never sung, dreams the never came to life, potential that was never released.
Don’t go to your grave with the treasure still in you. Keep growing. Keep learning. We should have a goal to grow in some way every day, to learn something new.
Don’t go to your grave with the treasure still in you. Keep growing. Keep learning. We should have a goal to grow in some way every day, to learn something new.
Pablo Casals was one of the greatest musicians of all time. He started playing at the age of twelve and he accomplished things that no other musician has ever accomplished. He was known around the world as the greatest ever. Yet, at the age of eighty-five, he still practiced five hours a day. A reporter asked him why he still put so much effort into it. He smiled and said, “I think I’m getting better.”
Casals understood this principal: When you stop learning, you stop growing; Whatever you do, get better at it. Sharpen your skills. Don’t be at the same level next year as you are right now. Remember this: Don’t settle.
Take twenty minutes a day, turn off the TV, and invest in yourself. Don’t say, “Well, Jeff, if I had the time, I’d do it.” Come on now. You are better than that. You’ve got too much in you to stay where you are. Your destiny is too great to get stuck.
A lot of times we sit back and think, God, I’m waiting on You; I’m waiting for that big break. I’ll tell you who gets the big breaks – people who are prepared. When God sees you doing your part and working to develop what He’s put in you, then He’ll do His part and He’ll open doors for you.
You say: “Well, Jeff, I’m so busy. I don’t have time to take any training courses. I don’t have time to read books, learn new things. I’ll get behind.”
Respectfully, that’s the wrong attitude.
It’s like the two lumberjacks who were chopping down trees. One said, “I’m going to take a break and go sharpen my axe.” The other said, “I don’t have time to stop. I’ve got too much work to do.”
He kept chopping and chopping. The other man went out and sharpened his axe. He came back an hour later and chopped down twice as many trees as his friend with the dull axe.
Sometimes you need to take a break and sharpen your axe. If you sharpen your skills, you won’t need to work so hard. If you sharpen your skills, you’ll get more done in less time. You’ll be more productive.
Whether you are a teacher, a contractor, a nurse, or a technician, don’t settle where you are. Don’t coast, or rest on your laurels. Sharpen your axe. God is looking for people who are prepared. He is looking for people who are serious about developing their opportunities.
There is treasure in you, just waiting to be developed. Make a decision to grow in some way every day.
Because you are prepared, I believe that God will open doors for you that no man can shut. You will go farther than you can imagine and you will become the exceptional person He’s created you to be.