First Edition

 A long time ago, I did a devotional / inspirational book called First Edition I think.. it was one of my first that I wrote and was maybe a decade or more ago.  

The main point of the title and the book was this.  In our society, we have people that set their standards by what they MUST do to not be the worst out there... the lowest common denominator... instead of what CAN I do to be my best.

But, whether it be politicians, relationships, work, or more.. it's the same story.  Well THEY are doing THAT, so I can do this... or.. my requirements say I can take this much time to do something.  I got my first Verizon bill after switching, today, for example.  In all, this switch is a great thing and will lead to a lot of benefits for less cost.  But, this bill was high.  So, I messaged them about it.  They said that they charged me for something I didn't ask for and that my veteran discount was not applied.  I asked them to reduce the bill, and they said they can't but that the credit will be on the next bill.  So, for a month, I will be paying for a service I didn't ask for and won't use, because the person that was doing it wouldn't adjust the bill that was done... AFTER I had asked for the discount and canceled the program.  Why?  It's not my responsibility.  

This is like HCC taking weeks to remove a bogus 6,000 dollar charge on my bill because from one person to another they kept saying... not my problem.  From workers to relationships to everything, people don't ask what CAN I do or take pride in their work. They do just enough to not get fired or lose things.  Sometimes, they even tout themselves as being able to meet the unmet needs of others as their strength, when all that is is just not as bad.

May we learn to take pride in ourselves and do a job that we can be proud of.. not for anyone else but ourselves.  Imagine if everyone did that.