Morning Devotional

March 3, 2004

"The Five and Dime" 

by Don Emmitte

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"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically" (Romans 12:11, NLT).

 

The seven last words of a dying organization are: “we’ve never done it that way before.” I have been a part of such groups. No matter how logical the proposal these groups cannot overcome their fear of the unknown. They become stagnant and eventually lose their ability to grow. It is the first stages of organizational death.

A similar principle applies in individuals. If you convince yourself that it can’t be done, it won’t! Some years ago an energetic young man began as a clerk in a hardware store. Like many old-time hardware stores, the inventory included thousands of dollars' worth of items that were obsolete or seldom called for by customers.

The young man was smart enough to know that no thriving business could carry such an inventory and still show a healthy profit. He proposed a sale to get rid of the stuff. The owner was reluctant but finally agreed to let him set up a table in the middle of the store and try to sell off a few of the oldest items. Every product was priced at ten cents. The sale was a success and the young fellow got permission to run a second sale. It, too, went over just as well as the first. This gave the young clerk an idea. Why not open a store that would sell only nickel and dime items? He could run the store and his boss could supply the capital. The young man's boss was not enthusiastic. "The plan will never work," he said, "because you can't find enough items to sell at a nickel and a dime." The young man was disappointed but eventually went ahead on his own and made a fortune out of the idea. His name was F. W. Woolworth. Years later his old boss lamented, "As near as I can figure it, every word I used in turning Woolworth down has cost me about a million dollars!" ¹

One of the age-old killers of enthusiasm is: "It can't be done." But if the idea is creative and comes from God, it can be done! It may not be easy, but it can be done. Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” Do you remember the story of the disciples coming in after a night of fishing and not having caught anything? Jesus directs them to go out again and cast their nets again in the same spot they were so unsuccessful earlier (cf. John 21:1-8). I wonder if you have quit too soon? Perhaps you need to cast your net one more time! If the Lord has directed you to do something, keep at it. Success will be yours!

1.       Cited in Bits and Pieces.