Using a dull ax requires great strength,
    so sharpen the blade.
That’s the value of wisdom;
    it helps you succeed.

Ecclesiastes 10:10

Why do people feel frustrated and lose their drive over a period, after taking up their dream jobs they loved and craved for? Why do they become ineffective or quitters? I had not looked at these questions very closely until I read a scripture in Ecclesiastes today, which forced me to pause and ponder.

 “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (Eccl. 10:10).

This scripture has convicted me. I have learned enough from it to share its wisdom with you – maybe, as a wakeup call to some or a reminder to others.

Solomon does not leave it at the unveiling of the problem. He proposes a solution. The answer lies in a constant training and retraining regimen – a periodic sharping of the mind for everybody.  

It is true that after much usage, an axe becomes dull. For, each use chips off tiny particles from its sharp edge. Over time, friction and attrition cause the axe to lose its sharpness, and efficiency drops. The user begins to feel the effect in the body, because he must exert extra strength for the same work. Fatigue sets in and slowly saps joy out of the work. Enthusiasm dissipates and eventually, the worker begins to complain. He may either demand for better compensation or quit all together. However, a little time taken to sharpen the axe could save the work. It is true for every work or profession.

A friend sent me a reporter’s coverage of an address by the President of Uganda to Parliament. Most of the people were sleeping. One could average their ages at seventy. They are old and fatigued. They have been at the game all their lives. So why were they sleeping?

By Solomon’s wisdom, a case could be made that they have not taken time to sharpen their minds through a deliberate effort for nation building. They have been too busy amassing wealth and applying their energies to maintaining their positions of power around a power-obsessed President. Consequently, their minds have become dull to new and innovative developments and current affairs. They can’t understand the youth and their agitation for change. They cannot empathize with the poor and suffering. Why should anybody be poor when they could scheme to steal their way to riches?

The same deterioration of concern and energy occurs to ordinary workers in government and politics. The worker suffers the same tragedy as much as the minister of the Gospel. We all see the carnage in others, but we don’t take the necessary steps to shield ourselves from it until it comes to bite us.

Maybe if we listen to Solomon’s counsel, the older politician could apply wisdom and retire, making way for some fresh minds they have trained. The worker can engage in self-improvement practices by reading wide and engaging new trends in their profession. They could look for training opportunities and engage in personal research that leads them to create new models to benefit others. The minister of the gospel could be encouraged to step away for periodic waiting before the Lord. The leadership could institute a training regimen that could force the Pastor to sharpen his mind and heart with specific courses outside the church and much more.

So, let’s bring on the sharpening tools, and help ourselves and others to maintain our spiritual, emotional, and physical balance at all ages, and in all fields, for the glory of God.