Doing One Thing Well

Tom Barnard

 

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV)

 

For ten years I traveled throughout the northeast, representing a Christian College located near Boston. Whether I drove or flew, staying in hotels was part of the job. On one trip I stayed at the Hampton Inn at Frederick, Maryland. In many ways the stay was like other hotel stays. But there was something quite different about this one. At the registration desk I was impressed by the cheerfulness of the person who checked me in. When I commented on it, she replied, “We have the friendliest Hampton Inn anywhere in the country.” “Big claim,” I thought. But when I began unpacking, I noticed a 4x6”card on the table by the phone that began with the standard marketing words, “Welcome.” What followed on the card was far from standard.

 

“All of us at Hampton Inn have only one job to do…to provide you with

the best hotel accommodations, service and value available today.”

 

The employees of that Inn understood that above everything else in their job description, they had “one job to do.” It was more than a cliché. “One job to do” meant quality of service, cleanliness, customer satisfaction, room comfort level, amenities, and anything else that one could list. It was a powerful mission statement reduced to just four words!

 

I think the Apostle Paul had something like that in mind when he wrote to the Church at Philippi. His expectations were high; time and resources were short. So he focused on the singularity of his purpose. He had one thing to do—not forty things to dabble in.

 

Wherever you are today, ask yourself this question, “Why am I here, really?” Am I “doing,” or “dabbling?” If you have trouble reducing your “doings” to a singular thing, pray this prayer:

 

“Heavenly Father, I have focused this week on a multitude of tasks that have been thrust at me. I tried to do them all, but I know I did not do all of them well. Search my heart right now. Reveal to me what are the most important aspects of my life. Give me the wisdom to separate the most important from the less important. Then help me prioritize things so that the single most important priorities in my life rise above all other priorities. And help me to communicate this mission to the people with whom I live and work, to the end that our joint-effort may be ‘the best available’ anywhere today.  In the strong name of Jesus I pray. Amen.”