I recently had one of those wonderful experiences as a man…I got to use a new tool!  Would you believe that some fool let me use a jackhammer?  It was everything I had ever imagined it being…violently jarring, hard to control, really loud, and mildly dangerous.  But I had tons of fun busting up some concrete with that powerful tool.

A jackhammering fool or a fool with a jackhammer?

The project we were working on actually required a number of tools.  There were four of us working on breaking out sections of a slab so that new plumbing lines could be put in place.  A fifth man had come in before us using a cement saw to cut the channels that we would be breaking out.  We used a jackhammer, sledgehammers, a giant pry bar, picks, shovels and our hands to get the job done.

In life there are going to be tough challenges that need to be overcome.  Having the right tool for the job makes things easier.  A lot of the tools that we use in life can’t be bought at Home Depot, they are skills and experiences that we learn and earn along the way.  Our parents hopefully teach us a good number of the tools we use in life to solve problems.  School might teach us a few tools that we use.  A good number of our tools are earned in the school of hard knocks.  And other tools we use in overcoming the obstacles of life are learned from our Heavenly Father and His Son.

Jesus showed us a wide variety of ways to deal with problems and challenges that we might face in life.  Some situations called for a delicate touch such as comforting the grieving sisters of Lazarus in the loss of their brother in John 11.  Other times Jesus used diplomacy in dealing with the petty bickering of His disciples in Matthew 18.  And other challenges called for a powerful message of disapproval, such as the time when Jesus himself drove the money changers out of the temple in Matthew 21.

The only way to learn the tools and skills of life is example and experience.  We can learn from watching others who have mastered the use of a tool, but we will never master that tool until we use it ourselves.  One of the best things we can do is learn from the example of a carpenter from Galilee, Jesus Christ.  A blessing of the church is being able to surround ourselves with others who are also learning and working to improve themselves.

Let us never forget the work of those who have come before us.  Those who have worked and sacrificed to prepare the way for our efforts.  The valuable lessons contained in their life experiences can only increase our effectiveness.  Generations of effective and influential people collaborating their efforts can achieve some amazing results.

Think about the tools of life that you have acquired so far.  Who helped you learn to use that tool?  What lessons in life allowed you to earn that tool?  What tools were given to you as a blessing to use for others?  Let us all be encouraged to use the blessings that we have been given to be a blessing to those around us.  When we all work together we can accomplish some amazing things.

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The message above is a devotional thought I have put together for our mid-week worship service tonight.  Have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions for improving the message?  There are some amazingly smart and gifted people reading this blog and I would appreciate your help in making this message even more effective.

Also, as I have been making my way through my Google Reader feed this morning I found this excellent post by Jon Acuff.  (The guy has got to be awesome because he spells his first name correctly!)  His post – “How To Be Awesome In Only 2 Steps” – was a quick and inspirational read for the morning.  I really enjoy his quick morning posts.

The project I was working on over the weekend was at our camp facility – Quartz Mountain Christian Camp.  This is a great facility with great vision. Check out their website at qmcc.org.  They are looking for volunteers to come to Altus, Oklahoma to help with work projects.

Make it a great day!  And as always, if you enjoyed this post I would really appreciate it if you shared it via the buttons below on Twitter, Facebook or another channel.  Thanks for reading!