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Why the Older Lumberjack Won

Two lumberjacks had a contest. The young one swung his ax all day without stopping. The older one kept disappearing to sit on a stump. At the end of the day, the older man had way more wood. The young one was furious: "You took so many breaks!" The older man grinned. "Those weren't breaks. I was sharpening my ax." Ecclesiastes 10:10 puts it plainly: "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success." A lot of us are swinging dull axes. We're exhausted, maxed out, and quietly proud of how hard we're working. But harder isn't always holier. Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is stop. Pull back. Sit on the stump for a minute. Jesus did this all the time. Luke tells us He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed—not because He was lazy, but because He knew the source of His strength. And then He turns to us in Matthew 11:28 and says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." That's not a reward for the finished. That's an invitation for the tired. So what does sharpening look like for you this week? Maybe it's a real Sabbath. Maybe it's thirty minutes with your Bible instead of your phone. Maybe it's a walk with Jesus and nothing to prove. Sharpen the ax. Then swing.