I'm addicted to baseball caps. I have caps from several baseball teams including the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Cantrell Lawn and Turf, my boys' Little League team that went 1-14 two years in a row. My other caps advertise a variety of vacation spots, deer and duck hunts, float trips and a couple of lesser-known corporations.These caps serve as reminders of the different roles and responsibilities I have as a man. Recently my schedule was getting the upper hand, so I decided to take a year-end inventory of the "caps" I was wearing to see if I could reorganize them or shed some. A few from my list, in no particular order, were: employee, Sunday School teacher, friend, speaker, counselor, recruiter, writer, broadcaster, citizen, manager, motivator, hunter, housepainter, fisherman, taxpayer, financial planner, husband, father of six children.
Many of the "caps" I wear represent people I am responsible for. As I contemplated all these responsibilities, something I frequently ask myself came to mind: The question is not will I succeed, but where must I succeed. What caps must I be successful in wearing?
When I read in Ephesians that I should walk wisely, "making the most of your time" I realized I needed to weed out unessential responsibilities in my life so I would have room for the essentials. When we recently reorganized our closet, Barbara said I had too many caps and that I had to get rid of "a few." Painful as it was, I filled a small garbage can with half my original stock. My shoes fit neatly on the shelves again, I still have my emotional favorites in my possession, and I saved my marriage in the process!
I saw a T-shirt the other day that said, "I want it all." That just isn't realistic, is it? You and I can't have it all-something, or someone, will suffer.