BLUF: Seemingly ‘small,’ steady steps in the right direction pay dividends.

In a book I read recently, the authors shared the following story:

Charles Francis Adams, nineteenth-century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered, “Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted.” His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary that is still in existence. On the same day he made this entry: “Went fishing with my father—the most wonderful day of my life!” (Making Sense of Your World, W. Gary Phillips, William E. Brown, John Stonestreet, p. 234).

There are few things I enjoy more than fishing (okay, catching), but you get the idea. So, this illustration hits home with me. When I reflect upon my fondest memories of boyhood, many of them involve time with my stepfather and fishing together. We’ve caught hundreds together. He taught me from my earliest cane poles, then on to Zebco-33 reels, then on to open face/spinning reels, then on to bait casters, etc. I’m sure he grew frustrated with me more than a few times when I was a little fellow, and he’d have to help me. But I’d give anything to recapture those times. On the ponds, rivers, and lakes, it was heaven to me. He probably had no idea how much all those times would shape me for life.

Encouragement:  If you are battling discouragement or think and feel that your efforts are for naught, remember the diary entry from the son in the opening illustration. You are making a difference; let’s just aim for it to be a good and wise difference.