John Claypool, in one of his sermons, tells a parable about a young man who was applying for a job. As a part of the application process, the young man had to take an aptitude test. He arrived at the appointed time, was given instructions about the test, and then was ushered into the testing room.
Immediately, though, the young man became enamored with the utensils at his disposal: he straightened the paper on the desk, sharpened his pencils and shined his chair. In fact, he became so engrossed in the material around him he never got around to taking the test! When time was up and the tests were collected, he had nothing to show for his efforts but a neat desk, finely sharpened pencils and an immaculate chair.
Needless to say, he didn't get the job. (1)
Nowadays people in business talk about "working smart." That is, it is not how hard you work, but how effectively, how efficiently. Many executives who spend long hours at the office are not necessarily more dedicated than their peers who leave early. Those who burn the midnight oil oftentimes have not learned how to use their time wisely.
In fact a recent brain study by psychologist Richard Haier of the University of California at Irvine confirmed that smart thinkers are not necessarily working hard even at their thinking. Haier injected subjects with mildly radioactive glucose and then had them take a test involving abstract reasoning. He then watched the level of glucose that each brain burned.
Surprisingly, the men who received low scores were burning more glucose to get a few wrong answers than other men were burning to get most of the answers right. There really does seem to be something to the idea of working smarter, not harder. (2) As Robert M. Hutchins has said, "It is not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about important things."
THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS STRESS TIME AND TIME AGAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING SMART. Jesus himself compared them to a man "building his house on a rock." He talked about "counting the cost" before we begin to build. "Sit at the lowest place at the table," he said, "then when your host comes he may say to you,`Friend go up higher ™; then you will be honored in the presence of all..." Time and time again he stressed that his teachings were not about "pie in the sky bye-and-bye" but about practical living here and now. It is not enough just to live, but to live smart.
John Madden, now a sportscaster for CBS, was for many years coach of the perennially successful Oakland Raiders football team. During those championship seasons, Oakland had an All-Pro receiver by the name of Fred Bilentnikoff.
Madden once said about Bilentnikoff, "If he had played up to his capabilities he would never have been in the NFL. He was slow, he wasn't very big, and he was even a little bit clumsy. I used to scream at him from the sidelines, `Don't fall down, Fred! Don't fall down!' All he could ever do was catch passes and score touchdowns."
Fred Bilentnikoff was effective. He knew how the game was played, understood teamwork, and had figured out moves that would take him where the defense wasn't. He was a star at his position. (3)
Bilentnikoff played smart. He might not have been able to do everything an NFL receiver needs to do, but he did those things that mattered most. That's also the key to living smart. Make sure you do those things that really matter.
When Dwight Eisenhower became President he tried to arrange his administration so that only urgent and important matters were called to his attention. Every thing else was to be delegated to lower echelons. However, he discovered that urgency and importance seldom appear together.
You and I may feel that we are tossed and turned in every direction by those things that are urgent, while many important things are left undone. It's time we caught our breath and begin living smart.
LIVING SMART BEGINS WITH DECIDING WHAT REALLY IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE. That makes sense, doesn't it?
There is a story about a man who was preparing his favorite breakfast of hot oatmeal when his daughter came rushing in with his little grandson.
"The babysitter has been delayed," she explained, "and I've got to go to work. Will you keep Bobby for a few hours?"
Granddad said sure and his daughter left. Then Granddad scooped up two bowls of oatmeal. "Do you like sugar?" he asked.
When Bobby nodded he asked, "How about some butter, too?"
When his grandson nodded again he asked, "How about milk?"
"Sure," the boy said.
But when the grandfather placed the steaming bowl of oatmeal in front of Bobby, the boy made a face and pushed it away.
"But when I asked you, you said you liked sugar, butter and milk," grandfather protested.
"Yeah," Bobby answered, "but you didn't ask me if I like oatmeal."
Granddad forgot to ask the most elemental question. Sometimes we forget to do that, too. We never set priorities. We never list in our own minds what those things are that matter most. We allow life to buffet us here and there and we never center in on those things that really matter.
There is an old story about a recipe for rabbit pie that begins with the instruction to "first catch a rabbit." And that's great advice! What are those things that really matter in your life? Are you making certain that those priorities are being met?
One more football story. When Vince Lombardi took over the Green Bay Packers, they were on the bottom. In 1958, they lost 10 out of 12 games, tied 1 and won 1. When they came to camp in June of 1959 Vince Lombardi said, "Gentlemen, we are going to have a football team. We are going to win some games. Get that!"
Now how were they going to do that?
"You are going to learn to block, run and tackle," he said. "You are going to outplay all the teams that come up against you."
Then he threw in the clincher! "You are to have confidence in me and enthusiasm for my system," he ordered. "Hereafter, I want you to think of only three things: your home, your religion, and the Green Bay Packers." (4) We would quarrel with the order but not the spirit of Lombardi's challenge. He had narrowed his priorities to those simple things that he considered important. We could learn from that. For we too must decide what is really important in our lives.
There is a second secret to living smart. LIVING SMART SAYS, "DON'T LET LITTLE THINGS DISTRACT YOU."
Somewhere I read about an English home owner who declared war against the mole that had been burrowing unsightly tunnels throughout his property. Moles are nocturnal animals, so he drove his Jaguar onto the lawn to hunt the mole down with the aid of its headlights. The car stalled. When he got it started again, it lurched into gear and out of control. Onward it rolled until it crashed into his house. The car's fuel tank ruptured and burst into flames, which quickly reached the house and burned it to the ground.
He couldn't even phone for help-the telephone cable was burned through before he could call the fire department. "I still want to see that mole dead," he said.
We can appreciate his frustration, but his is an example of truly making mountains out of molehills. He had lost his perspective. Somehow his priorities were out of whack.
One of the most impressive things about former astronaut and senator John Glenn is his willingness to stick to his priorities. It was he who refused to go to the door and receive the president of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Why? Glenn's wife was quite ill in bed and needed his attentiveness. John Glenn's relationship with his wife was more important than having an audience with the president.
In our Scripture lesson for the morning Martha was busy with many things. She was trying to be a gracious hostess. Who could fault her for that? It's hard work. I am certain Jesus understood and appreciated that. But at that particular moment it wasn't the most fruitful way to be spending her time. The Master was in her home. True, she could bake him bread, but He could offer to her the bread of life. She could set the bevereges on the table, but he could treat her to living water. She could make sure he felt at home, but he could offer her an eternal home. It wasn't that Martha wasn't working hard. It was that she wasn't living smart. She let little distractions get in the way of what was really important. But there is one thing more to be said.
LIVING SMART BEGINS WITH A COMMITMENT TO JESUS CHRIST. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness," said Jesus, "And everything else will be added to you..." The smartest thing that Martha could have done at that particular moment was to emulate her sister Mary and sit for a few moments at the feet of Jesus.
In a Scandinavian country there is a statue of Christ. A tourist standing in front of it appeared dismayed. A local resident asked what his problem was. He replied, "I cannot see His face." The resident then explained, "If you desire to see His face, you must kneel at His feet."
There are some of us whose greatest need right now is to spend some time kneeling or sitting at the feet of Jesus. Our lives are out of kilter. Our values are out of focus. Our priorities are hopelessly skewed. Like the poor man who destroyed his house and his car, our molehills have become mountains. We need to stop where we are and to pray, "Lord, help me to know what those thing are that really need to matter in my life and help me always to put you first."
There was once a man who was trying to read the evening newspaper after he had come home from a rough day at the office. As he attempted to read the paper, he was constantly being interrupted by his children. One child came and asked for money for an ice cream cone, and his father gently reached into his pocket and gave him the necessary coin. Another child arrived in tears. Her leg was hurt and she wanted her daddy to kiss the hurt away. An older son came with an algebra problem, and they eventually arrived at the right answer. Finally, the last and youngest of them all burst into the room looking for good old dad. The father said cynically, "What do you want?" The little youngster said, "Oh, daddy, I don't want anything. I just want to sit on your lap." (5)
Who among those children chose the wisest thing? I believe the father appreciated the one most who simply wanted to spend a few moments in his lap. Center in on what really matters in your life. Try as best you are able to put away deadly distractions. Begin with your commitment to Jesus Christ and let the rest of your life flow from there. That's the difference between simply living and living smart.
1. Judson Edwards, REGAINING CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE, (Minneapolis:Bethany House Publishers, 1989).
2. "Brain Fuel," DISCOVER (July, 1988), p. 23.
3. Mark H. McCormack, WHAT THEY DON ™T TEACH YOU AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, (Toronto: Bantam Books, 1984).
4. Nido R. Qubein, COMMUNICATE LIKE A PRO, (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983).
5. Eric Ritz