Tie One On

I really don’t know how many weeks or even months I let this tussle go on, but it did. I replaced a sad pair of old brown dress shoes with a new pair. Clean and completely unsullied with shiny uncracked uppers, fresh soles, and waxed laces.

That was the problem-waxy shoe strings. Those slick laces would not stay tied! Tug and pull all I liked, no amount of effort seem to matter. They would not snug down. I put them on and a few hours later the laces were loose and my feet were slopping around in my shoes.

Then one day a thought occurred to me: Why don’t I double-tie each knot? And why hadn’t I thought of this sooner? So I tried it. Success! Glory! Because it worked, I’ve worn them double-knotted ever since.

The moral of this story is this, “Be alert to options that end your failure.” I find it so easy to keep doing what I have done, even when I am unhappy with the outcome. I think it is in part the result of knowing there is an emotional price tag or energy expenditure to making many a switch. Doing what I am doing is cheaper in the short term over making immediate change.

That is all true. But my singular concern is not just this moment. My life is full of tomorrows, too. I have a fiduciary responsibility for days not yet contemplated and hours not yet spent. My life is more than now, and my alertness in this sliver of time may move me from repeated failure to ongoing success. I have to pay attention. It is my duty to myself and to my God.

I will consider my life as I am living it. I will look for ways to do it well. I will end these fiascos and begin my victories when the opportunity is there. I will tie one on for success!

Tim Gramly
Education Pastor
South Haven Baptist Church
Belton, Missouri
August 11, 2009