All Staples Aren't Bad

As I walked into my bedroom this evening I saw my bed neatly made. I didn't do it. I never make my bed. My wife made our bed. She does this every day. It's one of the little things I love that I don't thank her enough for. It's a staple in my life.

Not all staples are bad.

As a church planter I see a lot of planters who are great at talking about what they don't like at the next guy's church or the church of their childhood. An easy way to weed out potential planters is if you hear them talking forever about what they are not going to be. It's easy to bash the labor of someone else. It's far more difficult to blaze a unique God-given path in a barren land.

When I noticed my bed made and then thought about some church planters being a bull in a china shop I got to thinking about some thoughts I've pondered recently.

My main thought is this: There are some staples that are fine to be left alone.

Philippians 2 challenges me to consider the interests of others above my own:

- As I reach out to my neighbor their best interest should be my focus.
- Therefore what is best to reach my neighbor may not be what is best to reach me.
- In an age of A.D.D. and whiplash change, staples in society may not be a bad thing.
- Change is easier to accept when you were in the meeting to plan the change.
- Most people aren't entrepreneurial.
- Most people (at their core) like stability, consistency and tradition.
- The truth is those of us who ARE entrepreneurial don't mind having some staples in our lives either... like the way my wife allows me to walk in to a made bed every evening.

Some of the other staples in my life:
- I like my coffee at 150 degrees.
- I like a window seat on an airplane.
- I am a platinum member at a particular hotel chain.
- I always like to make a basket before I walk off of the basketball court.
- I like my toilet paper to come over the top.
- I am OCD about my coffee cup logo and lid lining up.

On and on... the point is that while in many ways I love to create something from nothing and I'm a prototype church planter in every assessment I've taken... even I enjoy some staples in my life.

Sweetie, thank you for making our bed.