PRINCIPLE: “To do the job right, use the right tools.”
We had a metal bar stool in our kitchen. One of its feet had lost it’s protective cap which meant it was now capable of scratching or otherwise marking up the floor. It was too nice a stool to just discard – but how to fix the uncovered foot? My wife discovered the solution – a plastic cap from a very small bottle. Its circumference was precisely that of the stool foot. All it needed was a little trimming and, since it was clear and the other caps were black, some black coloring. A black Permanent Marker worked just fine. The stool now has all its feet protected, the floor is safe, and all is well. All that was needed was the right tools. “To do the job right, use the right tools.”
It’s not a new or startling principle; in fact, it’s very common. No job can be done without the right tools.
A carpenter cannot build a house without the right tools. A seamstress cannot sew a gown without the right tools. A mechanic cannot repair a motor without the right tools. A musician cannot make music without the right tools. “To do the job right, use the right tools.”
But while it may not be a new or startling principle, I wonder if we’ve taken the time or made the effort to apply it to other areas of life. For example, when faced with a decision, how do we decide? What principles guide us? When we’re trying to decide what’s right in a given situation, how do we determine what’s right? When we’re in need of training, where do we turn? When we want to help another person whose life is seemingly falling apart, where are our resources?
The apostle Paul gave the answer (2 Tim. 3:16): “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”When we need to teach or be taught, Scripture is our tool. When we need to rebuke or be rebuked, Scripture is our tool. When we need to correct or be corrected, Scripture is our tool. When we need to train or undergo training in living godly lives, Scripture is our tool. When we need help, guidance, or strength for doing good works, Scripture is our tool.“To do the job right, use the right tools.”
No carpenter would think of building a house without the right tools. No seamstress would think of sewing a gown without the right tools. No mechanic would think of repairing a motor without the right tools. No musician would think of making music without the right tools. But I wonder – how often do we act without first using the right tool, the Word of God? What truly guides us – our emotions, our instincts, our habits, our feelings? Do we take the time to breathe in the truth and power of God’s Word? In all honesty, how often have we failed to do the job right because we failed to use the right tool?
As for me, now every time I see the bar stool in our kitchen it reminds me that whatever the decision or job is, “To do the job right, use the right tools.”