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3-14-2005

Lessons from the Pit
by Jim Werner

This weekend my two youngest sons and I had the task of cleaning up the volleyball pit at our home. The “pit” has been a family favorite for many years because it has provided so much fun and entertainment. However, one of the negatives associated with having a volleyball sand court surrounded by grass is the fact that it requires regular maintenance and because it had been several months since we last worked on it, there was plenty of edging, weeding, and raking to be done.

As we were working, something very profound occurred to me. There were two things that caused the volleyball pit to need attention: one was weeds; the other was grass. Now before you sigh and ask, “Great, Sherlock, what was the first clue?”, follow my thoughts for just a minute. One of the obstacles is always bad -- weeds are never desirable -- but the St. Augustine grass is a good thing that I go to great lengths to nurture and grow. Yet, both the good grass and bad weeds contributed to the same problem, a volleyball pit that was overgrown.

There is an important life lesson to be learned from this simple experience. In my life there will always be “weeds” that need my attention. They are those sins and behaviors that must be removed, but there may also be good “grass” that is growing out of control. These are good things I have cultivated which have grown beyond the appropriate boundaries and in the process have become an obstacle just as problematic as the weeds.

The real key is inattentiveness. Neither the weeds nor the grass will be hard to handle by themselves but as time passes and both are allowed to grow unattended, the result becomes a project of significant proportion. We all understand the weeds in our lives. They are self-evident; they are the source of many battles, but often we fail to see the grass that has grown past the appropriate borders.

My encouragement today is for you to examine your life to see if there are good things that take too much of your time and energy. Good things when they are out of balance are not good things. They could be hobbies, work, and even responsibilities. Whatever they are, if they have grown too big due to inattentiveness, they end up being just like weeds. Don't let the good rob you of the best!

Jim


Jim Werner is the Founder, Administrator, and Chairman of the Board for the Circle Christian School located in Orlando, Florida. For more information on Jim, please visit www.circlechristianschool.org.

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