There Are No Downsides to Being Alert

Yesterday as well, I spent almost the whole day supervising the construction of the stairs for the gazebo. I watched them closely because every time I would leave, they would do it in a different way. This did this over and over. They did things differently because they could not go beyond the limitation of their own ideas.

This is something that happened with the experts who tried to build the Ambition Masterpiece as well.

Since the stairs were not made well enough, I told the workers to redo the stairs that had been put in place. They fixed it accordingly, and now, the stairs are complete, but handrails need to be installed. After the handrails are installed, I plan on testing the stairs for a bit, and see if there is something wrong. If there is, I plan on working with others to fix it again.

Every time you climb the stairs, you might wonder, “Why did they make the stairs so narrow?”

We made it like so because there was no room, even though the gazebo is pretty high. Climbing up is okay but going down is a bit difficult because of how narrow the stairs are.

I thought deeply about this issue for a whole day, but I couldn’t think of a solution.

For the handrails, we could simply take an iron slab and cut it into hemispheres, but iron doesn’t really match well with the majestic trees that surround the gazebo . So before the handrails are installed, you have to be very careful when using the stairs.

I was told that in other gazebos, people generally make the stairs straight like a ladder.

The width of each step is wide but since we keep adding things onto the stairs, only a little bit is visible. That’s why you need to be careful when climbing up the stairs.

For those of you who do not take this seriously, don’t even think about using the stairs.

Also, for those of you who are clumsy and trip and fall down even on level ground, don’t think about using the stairs either.

Although it may look ugly, I have put foam around the middle of the pillar with the peacock sculpted on it. I did so because I feared that you might get hurt. If you go down the stairs backwards, it should be all right. The handrails will be arriving in 3-4 days. In case anyone climbs up before the rails are installed, I have placed the foam at the bottom of the stairs temporarily for safety so use them when you go up and down the stairs.

Especially when you are coming down, you have to make sure you have a firm grip on the handrails before going down backwards. If you fall from 1-2 meters up, you can break your ankle or foot. I have a feeling someone will fall. I can’t say for sure who, but I am sure someone will get hurt.

There have been many times when I have seen people trip over nothing on flat ground. Even for me, there was one occasion when I tripped and fell on the ground even though I am used to playing soccer and using my legs. At that time, I fell over because I tripped over another member. However, people sprain themselves even while walking on level ground. They trip because their mind is occupied by something else.

Sometimes a person falls because of an intentional trap, but most of the time, people fall when going up and down stairs. That is why you need wisdom even when you are walking. Wisdom is also knowing how to prevent yourself from falling while you are walking on even ground. Driving well is also part of having wisdom. You have to be alert at all times.

There is no downside to being alert.

Imagine that you survived a situation where you were facing certain death. Wouldn’t it be great if the reason you survived that deadly situation was because you were fully alert?

That’s why you must pay attention to what you are doing. It is wisdom to at least be able to take care of your life even if you are unable to look after others.

I urge you to pay close attention to the way you are living.

~Excerpt from the morning message of September 2, 1998; Pastor Jung Myung Seok

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