Sharpening the Saw (16th Sunday Ordinary B)

I chanced upon this story years ago. I’m not sure now of its source.

A man was struggling in the woods to saw down a tree. An old farmer came by, watched for a while, and then quietly said, “What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see?” the man impatiently replied, “I’m sawing down this tree.”

“You look exhausted,” said the farmer. “How long have you been at it?”
“Over five hours, and I’m beat,” replied the man. “This is hard work.”

“That saw looks pretty dull,” said the farmer. “Why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen it? I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”
“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically. “I’m too busy sawing!”

Taking a break from what we do in order to “sharpen the saw” is necessary for us to be efficient and effective. But oftentimes this truth about our need for self-renewal does not seem to be obvious to us. In our desire to do more and produce more, we do not see the value of taking a break and “sharpening the saw.” We do not want to waste our precious time; hence, we go ahead oblivious of the fact that we have already become dull and ineffective.

One of the best authors on leadership, Stephen R. Covey, regarded “Sharpening the saw” as the final habit among the seven habits of highly effective people. He calls it the habit of self-renewal. For him, excellent performance is a function of the excellence of an instrument. The instrument is ourselves. Hence, the greatest single investment of time and effort is in ourselves. To stop and sharpen the instrument is never a waste of time. It is, in business parlance, a necessary investment.

Jesus, in the gospel reading today (Mk. 6: 30-34), is aware of this principle of self-renewal. As the apostles gather and report to him what they had done and taught, He instructs them saying: "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (v. 31). How consoling these words are for someone who's been committed to the work of God's Kingdom and for those concerned for the betterment of humanity. The work can be tiring, replete with pain and sacrifices, as this is the cross we have committed to carry. Suddenly the Lord does not mention the cross. This time He sends invitation for renewal—to REST in a deserted place. The Lord knows we can get tired and we need to R... E... S... T...

Renewal. Evaluation. Silence. Thanksgiving.

Renewal. To stop for awhile and sharpen the “instrument” is a process of self-renewal. The deserted place to where we are invited by the Lord to be in communion with Him is our place of renewal—A place that energizes us for the mission. As we emerge from the place, we obtain new zeal, new strength to continue facing life's struggles and mission. To spend time with God is never a waste of time.

Evaluation. Taking a break can also come in the form of assessing what we have been doing. Coming away to a lonely place symbolizes the time dedicated to look back and examine the direction we have taken, the soundness of the decisions made, the goals set to be pursued. We check if these are still in consonance with God's will. Imagine spending all our life to commitments and causes not according to God’s design. That is what constitutes a real waste of time.

Silence. Taking a break can mean moving out of the hustle and bustle of our everyday life. The invitation to a lonely place is an invitation to silence. But in this place, we are not alone. God is there to meet us. Only in silence that we become sensitive to God's presence. In silence, we can relish the warmth of God's love that we otherwise do not notice in the heart of our busy life. What else can be a greater source of renewal than that of the assurance of God’s abiding love.

Thanksgiving. When we are renewed, when we have examined ourselves and aligned to God our decisions and commitments, when we are bathed in the reassuring love of God, we experience the rejuvenating beauty of life. Gratitude becomes the language of our hearts and we express our thanksgiving not only with words but with everything that we do and we are. Our whole life becomes itself a song of thanksgiving to God.

Indeed, such is a far cry to our dull, listless, tired and ineffective busy life. We need to sharpen the saw. It is never a waste of time to accept the Lord’s invitation to come away to a lonely place and REST awhile.