Bless the World with One Thing

One day, a bird, a squirrel, a fish and an eel got together and decided to start a school. Naturally, the bird insisted on a flying school. But the squirrel argued for training in perpendicular tree climbing. And the fish, a swimming college.

The heated debate seemed to go on forever until the eel proposed a compromise: Why not let all these things be included in the curriculum?

And so the school formally opened with all the students taking all the courses.

The bird was glorious at flying but a big flop at swimming. It didn’t take long however, for his wings to be damaged by the freestyle and breaststroke; he finally got a C in flying and naturally an F in swimming. The squirrel broke all her bones as he tried flying. (She jumped from the tallest tree she could find and shouted, “Darna”. I didn’t work. She wasn’t in a two-piece.)

And the fish? He couldn’t breathe too well when he tried climbing or flying. Until he got sort of brain damaged and wasn’t even a great swimmer at the end of the semester.

Guess who was the valedictorian of the class?

The eel. He did everything in a half-way fashion. In tree climbing, he sort of squirmed his way up. In swimming, he wiggled in the water. And in flying, well, he jerked. So he got a C in all his courses and ended up highest in the class. ( I got The Animal School story from Leo Buscaglia, in his bestseller, Love, but I couldn’t resist changing and adding a few details.)

Life isn’t about trying to be an expert in everything. It’s about being an expert in one thing and offering it to the world.

I’ve accepted the fact that because I’m human, I’m terrific in one thing, good at some, mediocre at a bit more, and terrible at others. And if your human, you are too. You’ll have to discover the one thing you are good at and major in it.

What primary gifts that God has blessed you with? Answer that question well and you’re one step closer to a life of peace, excitement and joy.

I’ve decided to focus on what I am good at, which is preaching and writing. Come to think of it, I am a very unbalanced creature. I’m pathetic at sports. And at fixing stuff at home. (Even if I have a complete set of tools at home, my favorite is still the telephone so I can call a repairman to fix whatever is broken.) And I don’t think I’ll ever be a Math whiz. Management isn’t my cup of tea. Even pastoring and counseling aren’t adrenaline –pumping events for me.

So I delegate.

But I bless the world with one thing: I communicate to people about love and joy and peace and all the good stuff of life through preaching and writing- hoping to change lives and make this world a better place to live in.
What is your one thing?

-From “YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CREATE LOVE” a book by Bo Sanchez (one one the most inspiring persons I know)