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Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job from a timber
merchant and he got it. The pay was exceptional, and the work conditions were great. The woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work. He was told to cut down as many trees as he could then bring them back to him.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.

“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Keep up the great work!”

The woodcutter was very motivated by the boss words and the next day woodcutter could only cut down 15 trees.

Determined, the third day he tried even harder, but sadly, he only removed 10 trees.

Day after day he was bringing back less and less trees.

“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought to himself. He decided to go to his boss
and apologize. He said that he simply could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe.
I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

Reflections:

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy with the hustle and bustle of life that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”.

In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.

Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay “sharp”? There’s
nothing wrong with staying busy, working hard, and being active but we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get
close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read etc.
We all need to take time to relax, meditate, learn and grow. We all need to enjoy the little things in life. If we don’t take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull, depressed and lose our effectiveness and appreciation towards others.

Remember: the most important things in life are the things that you cannot see!

 

Source: Moral Stories – Pablo Chiemelie Akunna (revised)