We measure the pieces very precisely. The crane’s 127′ boom and its angle tells the operator exactly how far the load is from the turret. That distance determines the maximum load, and there cannot be any error. In the tree, I set straps on branches in such a way that the load is balanced, and I calculate the weight of the piece I plan to cut, targeting less than the maximum capacity at that distance.

The piece is then cut and the truth is told. The crane picks the piece up over my head and takes it away. Once the piece is hanging, the operator relays back to me exactly how much the piece weighs, and I compare what I estimated to the actual. This process repeats over and over until the tree is completely removed and sitting in the landing. Any error at any time would topple the crane over on me in the tree, or on the house.

The accountability of this process is fantastic. I am forced to gather my data in a matter of a few minutes, and then make the call. Then I get immediate feedback. If I am off, I wouldn’t just get my hand slapped, I would likely die. Or at a minimum a house would get crushed. This doesn’t scare me though, because I make decisions that do not exceed the limit of the system, and I have control to see most of the variables.

I wish life were more like this; make a decision and get immediate feedback as to whether or not you were right. But instead, we make decisions hourly, and wait up to 10 or more years to see the implications, and by then tens of thousands of other decisions have been made based on the previous decisions. It is so complex that no one can predict the outcome of a series of decisions. Our life-planning process is inherently flawed because of this.

I am thankful that we have a creator who spans the boundaries of time and can see the sum of all decisions and knows the outcome. He has complete foreknowledge of those decisions and has known the outcome since before time began. He would often want us to make different decisions, but he loves us enough to give us complete freedom, knowing that if he controlled every decision, we would be no better than robots and could not express love back to him in that capacity.

I simply want to live my life and lead my family on a path of significance. So each day that I wake up, I have a choice; try to figure out what course of action will give that significance, or give my day to the one who gives significance. I try to choose the latter, because that is a sure thing, but most often fail. My days are full of decisions. Most are not even considered with prayerful thought. May I eventually learn, and in the meantime, keep experiencing the grace he shows me after each mistake. I simply want significance. And I know where to find it.