The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man … (Genesis 2:15-16a ESVUK)
Making the most out of something is the art and technique of good management.
It took me a long time to understand and appreciate this truth. In that length of time, I found out the hard way what happens when you burn bridges and not make the most out of relationships. I found out the hard way what happens when you take opportunities for granted and fail to realise the value of what’s in front of you.
I would love to tell you that I’ve learnt all the lessons well and am safely ensconced in the happy place of always making the most of relationships and never taking opportunities for granted, and fully realise the value of what’s in front of me. What I can tell you, however, is that I’m certainly soberly aware of the responsibility to do those things.
This requires two crucial qualities in life: diligence and vigilance.
When God put the man in the garden to work it and keep it, He was telling man to be diligent and vigilant. Working it is about diligence. The mentors in my life practised diligence. They demonstrated that preparation was crucial to ensure everything possible was done to make the most out of the opportunities in the day. Making the most of those opportunities was about wise and careful work, considerate to cooperate with God in the encounters that took place, large or small. They were examples of not neglecting small beginnings because they understood that culture is based on the habits established at the start, as it would be very difficult to change things once they’re set.
As such, these mentors also taught me about what it means to keep it. Keeping it is about vigilance. Whether it was their marriage or their other key responsibilities, these mentors carefully guarded them to ensure that only what would bless and enhance them were allowed in, and elements or factors that would disturb, distract and destroy were eliminated. I would be amazed at the times that they would be suspicious over something or someone that appeared to me to be something beneficial and worth considering. Their ability to discern what appeared positive but turned out to be dangerous helped me to appreciate the importance of caring about what God cares about. These mentors were watchful – keen for what would bless, but aware of the threats that sought to disturb their peace.
Diligence and Vigilance – the two worked well in relationship with each other. God presented opportunities through responsibilities. Those responsibilities were carried out in cooperation with the leading of god by the power of His Spirit. This Spirit gave wisdom and strength to apply abilities and skills to make the most of the opportunities. As such, they saw treasure in things that were not recognised by everyone. This, again, was evidence of their desire to do what was pleasing to God and so realise the need to be dependent on Him.
The idea in setting this example was for those in their company to pay attention and apply it. Those qualities were the key parts of the group and gave us an understanding of what the work was and how we were to be focused on only that and guard carefully against being distracted from that. There are great examples in scripture of projects that had that. One outstanding one that particularly influenced my mentors was the one of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and Nehemiah’s role in that. He exemplified diligence and vigilance in the responsibility God gave him. This was never a job he could do on his own, and it was a job he succeeded in because he was able to get others to apply those qualities of being diligent and vigilant.
Applying this in the context of the projects I took part in taught me so much. At this juncture, I’m very mindful of acknowledging what the work is and applying the qualities as well as encouraging those involved likewise to cultivate those qualities.
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
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