Stairway to Heaven

I like to think of myself as a fairly clever person when it comes to fixing things or solving problems. You know, kind of a MacGyver type of guy. But sometimes I realize I just can’t fix everything, and that can be frustrating. Unless I remember to look at it in the right light!

Recently I was working on a Pole Inspection Project in San Diego. It was getting late in the day, but the 20 light poles in the front parking lot were easy to work on and that part of the job went smooth. However, when I went to the rear parking lot, the poles were mounted on top of a retaining wall along a slope, which I could immediately see was going to be a problem.

My job is to inspect the metal at the base of each pole. Unfortunately, the base of the first pole was out of my reach. No problem. I grabbed an empty bucket out of my truck, flipped it upside down and stood on it. The next two poles were slightly higher, so the bucket trick didn’t work. No problem. I pulled my truck close to each one, flipped the tail gate down and stood on it. The next two poles were even higher. No problem. I flipped the tail gate down, put the bucket on top of it, and then stood on the bucket.

Then came the last two poles, which were even higher and completely out of my reach. It was getting late, the sun was going down, and I was getting really frustrated because to leave the job and come back a different day with a ladder would erase all my profit. But I couldn’t come up with a solution. So I packed up my tools and started to drive away. That’s when I noticed a maintenance shed in the rear of the complex. I got out, took a quick look around, and found a broken old wooden ladder laying on the ground. With a little bit of duct tape and a few wood screws, I had that ladder back in action and finished the job just as the parking lot lights came on. I admit the ladder was shaky and probably not that safe as I climbed each rung, but it felt good to get to the top and finish the job.

And that got me thinking… I am not a perfect person and I make a lot of mistakes, which I am sure does not make God happy with me. But if I can get just a little better, a little wiser, a little more clever each day, slowly climbing up that spiritual ladder that leads to heaven… I am pretty sure there will be a bright light at the top!

I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday!

~ Anonymous