Masada archeologist Yigael Yadin left parts of Masada and the Roman camps surrounding it unexplored.

He uncovered much of Herod’s palace, the Roman ramp, the synagogue, scroll fragments, skeletal remains and much more.

Imagine: Standing among treasures, surrounded by opportunities to explore and learn. Faced with a task, an adventure. Having the expertise to work on something that makes a difference.

Could you leave the job undone? Do you leave the job undone?

• When you’re passionate about a project, how willing are you to delegate?
• Do you ever do for others when you know it might be better to let them do for themselves?
• How often do you seek others who know more than you and ask them for advice and assistance?

How do you measure a job or task is “done”? Is it when there is absolutely nothing left that can be done, or is it when you personally can do no more – or you know you’re not supposed to do more?

Yadin didn’t quit because he got tired of the project or could no longer work on it. He deliberately left some of the site covered…because he assumed there would be later be archaeological developments beyond what he knew and that by waiting, archaeologists who followed him would learn much more by sifting the same areas.

Look at this photo of Herod’s store rooms.

Most has obviously been excavated, but take a look at the left side of the photo at the uncleared area.

Yadin – even though he wasn’t sure of the specific benefits – trusted that someone else could do something that he couldn’t.

Perhaps we sometimes feel lazy if we don’t finish something. Or we think we have a responsibility to finish what we start. Or we think if we commit to something, we can’t possibly hand it to someone else. Perhaps someone else won’t care as much about it as we do. Or they don’t have the experience we do. Whether it’s about us or them, we won’t put down the trowel and tweezers. We exhaust ourselves until our fingers bleed and our eyes water. We’re so tired that we don’t do a thorough job. Sometimes, someone is waiting in the wings…but she gets tired of waiting and moves on to something else. Or, she lets you keep working because it’s easier.

Sometimes you’re called to finish a job…but sometimes you’re called to set it aside. You fit together with others. It’s okay to pick up someone else’s tools and finish the job and put down your tools and invite someone else to pick them up. Sometimes you’ll work for a brief time between the start and the finish. Your contribution might seem insignificant – but it’s part of the big picture.

Be obedient. Take it from a (recovering) control freak. You don’t have to do it all. The world won’t fall apart without you. And yet you do have an important role. The key to knowing when to say “yes” and when to say “no” is discernment. Be obedient. Trust God. He knows what he’s doing and how you best fit!

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly. Romans 12:3-6