“It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him, yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent out shoots.” Ezekiel 17:6 CSB
Did you know there is a right way to tie your shoe? Terry Moore says there is. Terry had bought a new pair of shoes, he loved them, except they would never stay tied. When he took them back to the place where he bought them, the store owner noticed right away he wasn’t tying his shoes correctly. If you would like to learn the correct way to tie your shoes a link to his three minute TED talk is here. What does it matter if you tie your shoe correctly or not? The point is, small things in life can have a big impact. When you tie your shoe the right way, your shoe won’t come untied. A small thing that has a big impact.
I had to watch this video for the current class I’m taking. The question the professor then asked us was: Who is someone in your life that did a small thing that is still impacting your life today? Immediately my Calculus professor from Clarion University came to mind. That man has impacted my life in ways he will never know. I was struggling in the class, failing it to be completely honest. He tried to help me to the best of his ability, but he knew something about me I didn’t know; I wasn’t giving the class my best effort. At the end of the semester, when I went to him, begging him to pass me, he gave me this little lecture. He told me there are times in life when you need a pat on the back and there are times in life when you need a kick in the butt. He told me I needed a kick in the butt. He was absolutely correct, I did. I failed that class; I had to retake it in the summer, which I did and got an “A”. He taught me a valuable lesson, he showed me how to tie my shoes the right way.
That moment in time was over 25 years ago, yet it still impacts my life today. His comment to me has sprouted, it has become a vine that has produced branches. I often remind myself of it, sometimes that I need a pat on the back, sometimes the kick in the butt. I have often used his words when talking with others dealing with different situations. There is truth in those simple words. Life hands us so many different situations, being happy with what you have can be difficult depending on what is going on in life. But a lot of times, the difficulties we have in life are our own creation. The professor didn’t fail me in that class, I failed it because of the choices I was making. I made my life difficult, not him. That was what he was trying to tell me that day long ago in his office. In the same way, sometimes things happen that are out of our control, there isn’t anything we did or can do to help it, those are the times we need a pat on the back. Learning the difference between the two has helped me learn to be happy with what I have. I hope his wise words will help you do the same.
