"Let George do it."
When I was growing up, I heard people say, “Let George Do It.” It was probably popular back then because of a radio show called “Let George Do It,” featuring a detective-for-hire named George Valentine. It ran from 1946 to 1954. To get clients, George ran a classified ad that said, “Personal notice: Danger’s my stock-in-trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine.”
I do not hear the expression much now, although George Foreman,
the Olympic gold medalist, two-time heavyweight boxing champion, and the force behind the popular “lean, mean grilling machine,” wrote a kid’s book called “Let George Do It!” (2005). It is about a dad named Big George and his five sons named George, George, George, George and George (all of Foreman’s real-life sons are also named George).
I do not hear the expression much anymore, but over the years, I have seen the attitude manifested in people’s lives. As every pastor knows, 20%
of the people do 80% of the work in the church. In other words, too many
believers have a let-someone-else-do-it mindset.
Unfortunately for them, the ones who do not get involved in the
Lord’s work are the ones who lose. They miss out on the joy of serving the Lord and being rewarded by Him.
Others lose too. Those involved in the Lord’s work are overworked. When they reach the point of burnout, the work suffers.
Even the Lord loses out. Thinks of what could be done if all
hands were on deck.
There is a legend about an ancient village in Spain. The villagers learned that the king would pay them a visit. In a thousand years, a king had never come to that village. Excitement grew. “We must throw a big celebration!” The villagers all agreed. But it was a poor village, and there weren’t many resources. Someone came up with an idea. Since many of the villagers made their own wines, the idea was for everyone in the village to bring a large cup of their choicest wine to the town square. They said, “We’ll
pour it into a large vat and offer it to the king for his pleasure! When the
king draws wine to drink, it will be the very best he’s ever
tasted!”
The day before the king’s arrival, hundreds of people lined up to make their offering to the honored guest. They climbed a small stairway, and
poured their gift through a small opening at the top. Finally, the vat was full! The king arrived, was escorted to the square, given a silver cup and was told to draw some wine, which represented the best the villagers
had.
He placed the cup under the spigot, turned the handle, and then drank the wine, but it was nothing more than water. You see, every villager had
reasoned, “I’ll withhold my best wine and substitute water. With so many cups of wine in the vat, the king will never know the difference!” The problem was, everyone thought the same thing, and the king was greatly
dishonored.
Don’t cheat the King by not giving Him your best.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 12/31/ 2011.
I do not hear the expression much now, although George Foreman,
the Olympic gold medalist, two-time heavyweight boxing champion, and the force behind the popular “lean, mean grilling machine,” wrote a kid’s book called “Let George Do It!” (2005). It is about a dad named Big George and his five sons named George, George, George, George and George (all of Foreman’s real-life sons are also named George).
I do not hear the expression much anymore, but over the years, I have seen the attitude manifested in people’s lives. As every pastor knows, 20%
of the people do 80% of the work in the church. In other words, too many
believers have a let-someone-else-do-it mindset.
Unfortunately for them, the ones who do not get involved in the
Lord’s work are the ones who lose. They miss out on the joy of serving the Lord and being rewarded by Him.
Others lose too. Those involved in the Lord’s work are overworked. When they reach the point of burnout, the work suffers.
Even the Lord loses out. Thinks of what could be done if all
hands were on deck.
There is a legend about an ancient village in Spain. The villagers learned that the king would pay them a visit. In a thousand years, a king had never come to that village. Excitement grew. “We must throw a big celebration!” The villagers all agreed. But it was a poor village, and there weren’t many resources. Someone came up with an idea. Since many of the villagers made their own wines, the idea was for everyone in the village to bring a large cup of their choicest wine to the town square. They said, “We’ll
pour it into a large vat and offer it to the king for his pleasure! When the
king draws wine to drink, it will be the very best he’s ever
tasted!”
The day before the king’s arrival, hundreds of people lined up to make their offering to the honored guest. They climbed a small stairway, and
poured their gift through a small opening at the top. Finally, the vat was full! The king arrived, was escorted to the square, given a silver cup and was told to draw some wine, which represented the best the villagers
had.
He placed the cup under the spigot, turned the handle, and then drank the wine, but it was nothing more than water. You see, every villager had
reasoned, “I’ll withhold my best wine and substitute water. With so many cups of wine in the vat, the king will never know the difference!” The problem was, everyone thought the same thing, and the king was greatly
dishonored.
Don’t cheat the King by not giving Him your best.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 12/31/ 2011.