“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.“. Psalm 103:13
My Dad died when I was young, but there is one thing he taught me that has been a reigning rule in my life. He used to always tell us, “Do it right the first time, then you don’t have to do it again.” Those words have proved to be so true in my life. Truly words to live by. There is hardly anything I do that this one phrase doesn’t cross my mind at some point. It always takes me back to our garage in Tidal, PA. I can remember cleaning out the garage with him, it always had to be immaculate. Because if you do it right once, you won’t have to do it again.
This one piece of advice has helped me drown out pier pressure in my life. It goes hand in hand with what God calls us to do:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” Colossians 3:23 NIV
Every week, when I pray over my calendar, at the very end, I give it all back to God. I pray a simple prayer. Lord don’t let me miss any Divine appointments, assignments or tasks this week. I want all you have for me Lord. I want to do it to the best of my ability for Your glory. I want to do it right the first time. This week, this year, this life will only come once. Let me do it right, let me experience all you have for me from it, let me do it for You.
There is only one way to do it right the first time with God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus in us. Paul tells us in Acts, we will receive power in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). You can see the results of His power in our lives by the fruits that we bare. The love we share, the self-control we exhibit, the gentleness we show. When we have patience with the people around us, when we show kindness and goodness to them, we are doing it right. We are working for the Lord with all of heart. When we have joy in the midst of despair, peace in the midst of turmoil, faithfulness in the midst of hopelessness, we’re doing it right. And when we do those things with the people we love, we’re building the Kingdom. We’re doing it right the first time.
Drown out pier pressure, listen only to the One who can give you what you need, when you need it. Do it right the first time
