For years I had heard the old axiom “If you want something done, ask a busy person”, but I didn’t understand the concept. It made no sense to me. Busy people should be left alone to finish what they are already doing, right?
I know a lot of busy people and have heard of how they were under siege, trying to find time to take care of all their responsibilities. I couldn’t help wondering, why did they agree to do all these things anyway?
I ended up finding it.
Have you ever been accused of doing too much? Stupid, isn’t it? But it happened to me. In 1966, I worked for the Boeing Aircraft Company. My area was in departments 727 and 747. I enjoyed my job. I rarely took our 15 minute breaks because by the time the break came I had gained momentum and didn’t want to stop until lunchtime. Several of my friends said to me, “Linzey, slow down. You make us look bad.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and I responded quite abruptly.
“You’re wrong. I work at medium speed, and you make me look good by working slowly. I don’t slow down, so you’ll have to pick up the pace and start earning your paycheck.”
I’ve never been a workaholic; I just liked to get things done.
In 1994, while working for a science lab, I heard what sounded like a loud explosion nearby. I stopped, looked around and saw that the rear window of a new Toyota had shattered. I walked over to the man standing there. Chatting for a minute, we realized the car had overheated in the 105 degree heat, and when he accidentally hit the window with his ring, the window shattered due to heat shock.
I didn’t know him, but I got a vacuum cleaner and cleaned his car. When he asked what my supervisor would say, I told him that since we were both lab workers and he had to attend a meeting, I thought I was actually at work. I knew my supervisor would appreciate what I was doing.
Having become competent in my missions in the laboratory, more responsibilities were slowly entrusted to me, and I finally had 22 positions to fill. And guess what? I finally understood why busy people were asked for help. The reason is that busy people see the big picture and figure out how to get things done efficiently and quickly. I became one of those people, but that’s nothing to brag about. God gave us the talent or the strong, so I give him the credit.
Another example is when on my way to work I saw a live deer with four broken legs lying by the side of the road. Two men were standing near the critter and their old van was fifty yards ahead.
They told me they didn’t hit the animal and I checked their vehicle to verify the story. It was not hunting season and the deer would never walk again, so it had to be shot.
It was not my area of responsibility, but no one else was available to handle the situation. After finding out that the game warden and fish warden would be unavailable for a day, I made the appropriate calls to state and local police. The policeman came out, and I told him he had to get the bug out of his misery and give it to these two men.
After making two calls on his side, the police officer carried out the task, the two men transported the animal legally. I thanked the policeman and went on with life.
Do you know who is the key person to get things done? He is Jesus Christ.
In Genesis, chapter 3, Eve was tricked into making a wrong decision, Adam deliberately disobeyed, and the Word (called Jesus at birth), the one who created the entire cosmos, made another decision: he formed a plan who would be as firm as granite to save his special creation, man. Nothing could make him change his mind.
So on earth no one, including the Pharisees, Rome and Lucifer, could stop him. He restored true religion, personally taught his first group of leaders, instructed us on how to live and interact with others, took our punishment for sin, died in our place, and rose again deaths. The Master did it. He did it to restore his original plan and because he loves you. He wants you with Him in heaven.
— S. Eugene Linzey is an author, mentor and speaker. Send your comments and questions to [email protected] Visit his website at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
