Don’t Give Away Your Chainsaw

As the title states, I made a huge mistake one time. My grandpa had a great chain saw. When he died, I inherited it (something like the picture below). One time, I cut down the posts of my back yard two story deck with that thing. A little boy’s dream to be sure.

Alas, I hadn’t used it in a while when it came time to move houses. A chain saw – what would I do with the thing? It was amazing that I had even found something to use it on when I lived in the big city. So, a friend seemed like he could use it. “When in doubt, throw it out!” I always say.

Well, I came to regret my folly. I moved to a yard with an acre of land, big trees, and a whole lotta reason to use a chainsaw. So, I humbled myself to return to my poor friend. Slinking along, I said something to the effect: “Hey! So, are you, um, using that chain saw I gave you? It’s yours and I do not want you to give it back if you’re using it. But if you’re not using it! And you don’t want it anymore, then I’d take it back.”

I’m not one for backsies. I’ve been backsies’d before. It’s no fun; I lost a lawn mower that way once. I meant what I said. And good news! He said, “No thanks, I’ll keep it.” And I’m happy he did. I needed to learn this lesson the hard way. I no longer regret things for this reason. Of course, I regret my own sin, but you know what I mean. When I was too willing to give up my chain saw, the Lord made sure to use that in my life. He made sure that it sunk in.

I’m not saying you should make stupid mistakes on purpose. Don’t do that. Only an imbecile would live that way. But don’t regret the times you make the mistakes (after you make them). The Lord will use it. Oh, and by the way, don’t give away a Canon camera a few years before you start teaching online. Lastly, don’t trade your full weight set (bench included) for a dishwasher that doesn’t end up fitting in your sister’s apartment as a Christmas present. Those last two are hypothetical of course.