Heavy Lifting and the Little Things

Too many people volunteer to carry the stool when it’s time to move the piano

The hearty and unanimous “Amen” roared from the pews as the preacher launched his Sunday sermon with the piano mover quote.  More fortune cookie than scripture, it still rings true.  Curses to the stool carriers.  And, it’s not just the work shirkers:  way too many people complain about how it’s being moved, where it’s being moved and that it needs tuning.  Too many lightweights and whiners. Amen!

The vivid illustration received an uproarious response, but the congregation missed the point in the same way as last Sunday and the week before.  What we hear, so eagerly approve, and repeat with impunity is that those lightweights do as little as they can get away with and that those whiners complain about the way it is rather than work for a solution.

It is our self-righteous nature to see the lesson as it relates to others and join in the condemnation.  It happens every Sunday in nearly every pew in every church in the world.  I am treading on thin ice here because there is nothing more self-righteous than the sermon condemning self-righteousness, but two simple lessons arise from the piano mover quote. 

Lesson 1:  It’s me.  I am the stool carrier.  I am the slacker.  I am the whiner.  And, guess what.  So are you.  To hammer this point home, rephrase the quote.

I too often volunteer to carry the stool when it’s time to move the piano

Now, start carrying pianos.

Lesson 2: The little things matter. Someone needs to carry the stool; someone needs to carry the sheet music; and, it’s not always clear whether your assignment is the heavy lifting, insignificant, or intricate detail.  Recently, an old local activist told the story of a small restaurant in his suburban community about twenty years ago.  In those days, he spent much of his time advocating for the community but never dined at the restaurant even though he had heard rave reviews.  One day, the restaurant closed, and an adult video store opened in its place.  He still blames himself for the loss of that restaurant.  He was so busy carrying what he considered pianos that he failed in the most basic and fundamental way.

We all have assignments. Small task or large, we all can do more.  It’s about time we did.

On an unrelated or perhaps related note – next month, I will start my stint as a middle school volleyball coach in Metro Nashville Public Schools.  I can’t wait to be a part of the Jere Baxter Middle Prep team!