Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Psalm 90:12
Well, that didn’t make sense! Recently, my wife Judy and I took a cruise with Disney. The main reason we chose that cruise line was we really wanted to go to the Southern Caribbean and not many ships are heading there. In fact, the Disney Dream, our ship, only stayed in San Juan, heading for the Southern Caribbean, for two trips before heading to its new home in Florida. Anyway, it was a great trip. We loved seeing all the families dressed up in their Disney best and gratefully there was no sign of the company’s liberal leanings.
While we were on board, they offered a short presentation of how the ship was built. It turns out that the ship was actually built in two different shipyards in two different parts of the world. They then sailed (don’t ask me how) the front and back part of the ship to Germany where it was carefully welded together. That is pretty amazing if you think about it. But wait to you hear this. It turns out that Disney (and other cruise lines) often build their ships in pairs. So, with the birth of the Dream, it wasn’t long before a sister ship was in the docks being built and that is where it gets interesting.
So, once the Dream was up and running, Disney built and prepared for the launch of Fantasy…Dream’s twin sister. They really wanted the two ships to be identical but there was a little problem. Remember Dream was built in two halves and when the two were joined together they were welded together. That, of course, left a small but definite “scar” on the ship. So, what does Disney do? Read on to find out.
When they build Dream’s twin, they approached it totally differently. The ship was not built in two separate shipyards but in one. Hence, it was not built in two parts—it was built whole from the get-go. But Disney, wanting the two to be perfect twins, decided to add a weld seam at midship even though it was not needed. It was for cosmetic reasons only. The Disney person making the presentation made no attempt to hide how crazy it was. I’m not sure how much it cost the company but trust me it wasn’t cheap.
So here is an enormous company that can make money from anything and sell ice to an Eskimo wasting money on something so trivial as an unneeded welding seam. All that proves one thing. Even those known for the best methods of doing things can make unneeded and unwise decisions. And with that thought in mind, it is a reminder for us to always, always be alert and wise in our decision making. Oh, I know Disney could well afford the unneeded seam but that doesn’t explain their welding extravagance.
As you journey today, remember to be wise. Remember not to take unnecessary risks and make decisions that will use up the time and energy you might need for something later. I love the scripture in Psalm 90:12 that says, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Apparently, somewhere along the line someone at Disney had more money than wisdom. I’m glad our Heavenly Father never, ever makes that mistake. Every day and in every way He always does it right. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 