Having been raised with the story of the tortoise and the hare, most of us think of the tortoise as that wonderful fellow who could do no wrong. Persistence wins was the impressionable theme. On seeing a tortoise crossing the road the story came to mind once again. Cars were taking care to straddle him as they passed. That is all except one. In an instant Mr. Turtle became food for the crows.
Persistence is good, but speed would have been better. Sometimes we are so laid back; knowing tomorrow is another day, we do not accomplish the things we need to do. Teachers see this behavior pattern daily. Students have a zillion reasons why their work is late. Computers are a blessing to those procrastinators. They can now blame malfunctioning technology for their tardiness.
Have you ever noticed what Jesus said to Zacchaeus when He found him in a tree? “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.’ And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.” Luke 19:5-6
Haste does not always make waste.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 27, 2000
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