Date: 8/20/2021
Author: Mike Kelley
Title: Mike's Minute
Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 29:20
A man who had been successful in the manufacturing business decided to retire. He called in his son to tell him of his decision. He said, “Son, it’s all yours as of the first of next month.”
The son, while eager to take over the business and apply his brand of leadership, realized the big responsibility he was facing. “I’d be grateful for any words of advice you have to give me,” he said to his father.
The father said, “Well, I’ve built a successful company by employing two principles: reliability and wisdom. First, there is reliability. If you promise goods by the tenth of the month, no matter what happens, you must deliver by the tenth. Your customers won’t understand any delay. They’ll see delay as a failure on your part. So, even if it costs you overtime or double time, you must deliver on your promise.”
The son mulled this over for a few moments and then asked, “And what about wisdom?” The father replied, “Wisdom is never making such a stupid promise in the first place.”
So many people say things they haven’t thought of yet! Their words write checks that their actions can’t cash. A lot of trouble in this life is caused by saying “yes” too quickly and not saying “no” soon enough.
Preachers might be the worst of the worst in this area. We feel like we must immediately say yes to everything... and figure out whether and how we will be able to do it later!
Carefully weigh your ability to deliver on your promises before you make them. A large part of your reputation is your faithfulness in keeping your word.