Friday May 1, 2009

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5.

I think the idea here is that a job properly done will be of far greater benefit than a quick shoddy job. A product that is reliable and lasts will net the producer better returns than a poor quality one that fails. I think back to Japan. In the 1950s, Japan was the place for inexpensive copies of western made goods and soon gained a reputation for sloppy workmanship. But Japan learnt the lesson, and when Japan manufactured cars for western markets, they were more reliable and had fewer defects than new American cars. Many of us drive Japanese cars today. China may be going through the same process today.

If there is one profession where diligent attention to detail is necessary it is in the medical field. Here it is not just a matter of inconvenience; it touches on life and death. I’m so glad I had a surgeon of that calibre; there are too many horror stories of those surgeons who did not, or could not, perform adequately. And the same is true of life generally. A successful and satisfying life is one where at least one task is completed well, rather than a dozen or more incomplete or poorly finished.

One task that stands out is the fostering of relationships, because they affect our ability to cope in other areas and poor relationships affect the lives of others, particularly our children and coming generations. That is not to say that balancing legitimate competing demands is not a challenge, but selecting priorities is vital. For me those relationships are built on my ongoing relationship with God which teaches me so much about getting along with others. And in this case the proverbial “profit” or “poverty” is beyond what can be gained or lost with money.

Tuesday April 28, 2009

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6.

Sunday was not a good day. We went to church in the morning, but I felt weak and some pain in the surgical area. Even today, I still feel less well than a week ago! We can only assume that we were getting back into routine too quickly and my body complained as a result. Healing comes both through exercise and rest; exercise to stretch the body and rest to allow it to recover. Getting this balance right between exercise and rest is the key to timely healing.

Life is all about balance. Balancing work and family; between commitments to others and boundaries for oneself; between work and play; between our spiritual and physical needs. And probably most important for those of us who are married, balance between our partner and our children. Some parents dote on their children to the neglect their partners; others see children as an obstacle to their relationships. Obviously, both extremes are wrong, but either can become the default position when difficulties occur within the family.

However, our position has always been that the marriage relationship is the first importance, for without that the children’s security is threatened. I often note airline requirements that in an emergency an adult should don an oxygen mask first before ensuring a child’s mask is in place. Should the adult attend to the child first, she may be insufficiently alert enough to look after the child properly and even less for herself. The same applies to establishing a firm marital relationship; it is the crucible to ensure the child’s well-being.

Of course, a totally well-ordered life can seem monotonous, so perhaps sometimes we also need a balance between balance and a fling—there should be opportunity for madness once in a while! We are humans, not machines!