I spend time vegetable gardening. While flowers are nice, if I can’t eat it; I don’t pay a lot of attention to it. The other day “Brad”, “Brad” came over and wanted to take a look at my garden. As we walked through Brad made the offhand comment, “Gee, weeds don’t seem to grow in your garden and your plants grow really well. You must be blessed with great soil.”

I explained to Brad that I spent 10-15 hours a week working in the garden. Almost every day I hunt for weeds and pull or hoe them out before they had time to grow much. The reason I didn’t have weeds wasn’t because they didn’t grow, but because I tended to them quickly.

Frequently I encounter contracts that have an automatic renewal clause, known as an evergreen clause. Essentially it means that a contract automatically renews for specific period of time, typically for the original cost and service, if it is not canceled by a specific date. I personally detest these automatic renewal contracts and avoid them whenever possible.

I don’t like going back to check other people’s work. I prefer to assign a task, assume everything is done correctly and walk away. However, this is unwise. 

I was updating a website some time ago. At first look everything seemed fine, and I was tempted to call it finished. However, I disciplined myself to take additional time to check every link and other aspects of the site. I located six mistakes requiring correction, including two serious errors.  Had I not taken the time to check, I could’ve gone on for months or years without catching the errors. 

We see a scriptural example of this after the work of the tabernacle was completed. “Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” (Exodus 39:43, NIV) Since the Lord had provided exact instructions about how to execute the work, it was important to check to see that it was finished properly.

In the book of Exodus the Lord gives Moses very detailed instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and the clothing for Aaron to wear when ministering before the Lord. The handiwork required was extraordinary as outlined in scriptures and indicated that Moses was to give the work to skilled people. However, the Lord also told Moses “So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded." (Exodus 36:1, NIV) Part of my takeaway from this scripture was that natural skill was not enough to complete the work; the Lord specifically gave the skill and ability needed to complete the complex project.

At times I like to believe that more effort, more resources or more push will obtain faster and better results. Sometimes this is true; other times not so much. For example, I’ve learned that putting a small amount of toothpaste on my toothbrush obtains the same result as spreading toothpaste that lops over the edges. Also, some people use too much soap in the dishwasher. This is actually one reason they break down as extra soap scum gums up the works.