Mercy, how my dad did this for all of his career and still does today I will never know? For those of you following these posts my dad has been a jeweler most all of his life.
He will sometimes sit down at his workbench and handle a watch or clock for hours upon hours. Sometimes even while at home he will be sitting at a desk working on a watch or clock.
He will have a glass eye loop on his face and for hours upon hours he will handle tiny screws, springs, gears, and parts to a watch or clock.
What has this taught me in life? First, to accomplish tasks in life we must have the ability to concentrate. Good work requires mental concentration. It requires for us to secondly exhibit patience. To concentrate on something requires that we have patience. Third, this has taught me the power and value of self-discipline. When many in the world today suffer from attention deficit disorder, a problem whereby people can’t concentrate upon a subject or task for long periods of time, I am thankful that I have this memory and pattern to see in the life of my father. It has helped me to learn how to focus and concentrate on matters in my life.
Dear parents, what are you imparting to your children in the area of patience and concentration? Are they learning from you to be impulsive, or are they learning to tackle a task that may be tough, tedious, or troubling, yet doable if they concentrate and practice self-discipline? Here is a self assessment that will help you determine if you are making disciples like Jesus did.
The Bible says, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7).
Serving You,
Keith Sherlin; DD; Th.D
