A Speckled Ax

One of my favorite books is the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. In it Franklin tells about a man who wished to buy an ax with the whole surface ground as bright as the edge. The smith consented to grind it bright for him if he would turn the wheel; he turned, while the smith pressed the broad face of the ax hard and heavily on the stone, which made the turning of it fatiguing. The man came every now and then from the wheel to see how the work went on, and at length would take his ax as it was, without further grinding. “No,” said the smith, “turn on, turn on; we shall have it bright by-and-by; as yet it is only speckled.” “Yes,” said the man, “But I think I like a speckled ax best.”

I have a hunch there are a lot of folks who prefer speckled axes. Like the man in Franklin’s story, we have high ideals, but are often unwilling to put forth the effort necessary to see them realized. Therefore, we settle for less than what we desire. That’s all right when it comes to an ax, but not when it comes to the development of character.

Paul admonished, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). To accomplish what is really important requires hard work, dedication, and determination. Little that is worthwhile comes easily. This is especially true regarding the building of Christian character.

Peter wrote: “…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). Spotless character does not come easily. We must work at it every day, and we should not be satisfied with anything less.

We must not settle for a speckled ax when we can have a shining one. We must work hard at being everything God envisions for His people. We will never be flawless, but we will get better and better if we are willing to work at it!

— Roger