Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Measure (01/10/13)
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TITLE: A Ruler's Best Life Lines | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lillian Rhoades
01/17/13 -
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I was not created to handle curves. The hallmark of my success comes from knowing how to draw the line from one point to another. And every day I try to walk the straight and narrow with the following guide lines for life that contribute to my good fortune.
Life Line #1:
Never draw lines in the sand.
Ultimatums lead to battles not easily resolved. That’s a danger zone that must be avoided.
Life Line #2:
Remain steady and strong under pressure.
I learned this lesson when I was summons to help measure two and a half yards of fragile, expensive cloth. The hand that held me down was hot and heavy, and the pressure nearly cracked me. But I remained steady and did not move or break. Endurance under pressure kept me in line.
Life Line #3:
Do not measure yourself by another yardstick.
Be content with the wonderful creation you are. Some of my friends can stretch to longer lengths than I. One friend extends to two hundred and ninety two inches. That’s more than twenty times my size. But I don’t envy him. I like who I am. Sometimes I think he would like to be me, because I’m used more often.
Life Line #4:
Never hold a grudge.
I made the decision not to hold a grudge when I lived in Mrs. Greenleaf’s house. One day I heard her muttering under her breath.
“Now where did I put that ruler?”
“Over here,” Mrs. Greenleaf, “on the second shelf,” I called out.
But I guess she couldn’t hear me, because she eventually tore off the side of a cardboard box to underline a verse in her Bible. I could have held a grudge against Mrs. Greenleaf for lining up someone else to take my place. And next time she needed me, I could have lay just slightly left of center. But I figured that would be a waste of time. Anyway, Mrs. Greenleaf soon discovered that a cardboard box is no substitute for the smooth, straight edge of an authentic ruler.
Life Line #5:
Never feel the need to broadcast your talents.
Remember Solomon’s words. “A man’s gift makes room for him” (Prov. 18:16). I am gifted to provide accurate measurements. And even when I’m tossed around in a school bag, lay dormant for days on end in a tool box, or made to sit for hours precariously perched on a roof top until called upon to serve, I’m perfectly content. I know my measuring skills will always be in demand.
Life Line #6 is a fitting summary for all the lines I live by.
Life Line #6:
Face the final days of life with courage.
When my numbers have faded, my edges splintered, I’m all marked up with pen and pencil indentations, and no one can tell my half inch from my eighth of an inch, I will not be afraid to retire in peace. I figure life has been good to me, and I’ve enjoyed what I was created to do for as long as I could do it – helping to make uneven lines straight. And along the way, never ruling out making straight uneven lives.
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And I'm still smiling.
Thank you Lillian, rules to live by and bring a smile!
But should summons in Life line #2 be summoned?