Life's Too Short To Use A Dull Pencil

That thought occurred to me today when I was reaching for a... well, a pencil.

I love pencils. Real pencils. Dixon Ticonderoga pencils. I've got an assortment of pencils in a wide selection of colors in varying stages of pencil life (some at the two-sharpening stage; some at the twenty-sharpening stage with little life left to live). I'm also a big fan of erasers- the colorful kind that go on the end of a pencil, but we'll save that entertaining story for another day.

I know. You really can't wait.

So anyway, I reached for a pencil and started to do my thing when I found the result was not quite what I wanted (and really, all I was doing was recording a lunch count, but I'm a big believer in doing everything with pride). I set that one aside and reached for another pencil that sported a nice, sharp tip. With a sigh of satisfaction as the first few strokes of the lead (okay, graphite) were made, a rather unique thought popped into my head. So unique, at least to me, that I grabbed my handy pad of post-it notes and jotted it down. All day long that same note stared me in the face.

Life's too short to use a dull pencil.

Maybe it's the same thing. Maybe it's totally off. But as my day was winding down and the minutes ticked away to the four o'clock hour and I stared at that post-it note before me, Proverbs 27:17 scrolled through my head. I thought about the sharp lead (graphite!) of my pencils and how clean and crisp of a line they leave behind. I thought about the dull lead (you get the idea) of my other pencils and the fuzzy and unremarkable lines that are left in their wake.

And I'll stop here to say if you haven't used a pencil in a long time, take a ride on the wild side and try it old school style. You might need a little refresher course and a detour from the electronic life to catch up with where I'm going.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Or check out the Amplified version:

"Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].

What kind of relationships do you have? Are they the kind that sharpen your faith, or are they the kind that dull your senses to things of the Lord? Does your anger leave a scowl on the faces of those around you? Do people breathe a sigh of relief when you leave the room, or do you leave behind something worthy, something to think about, something purposeful?

I know some of you think I put entirely too much stock into the tip of a pencil. I wouldn't argue with you there. But I will challenge you with this one last thought,

I'd much rather be a sharp point than a dull one.

How about you?