(By Dan Miller)
We’ve all heard the old adage, “Winners never quit, quitters never win.” Is that really true? Does that mean that if you’re driving from Detroit to Miami and you suddenly realize you’re actually headed for Savannah you would simply continue on? Or even speed up? Or just “try harder?” Of course not – you would immediately correct your direction, even if it meant going back to Atlanta to get back on the right road.
Why is it that in jobs or businesses people often believe that if they just persist, somehow things will get better? And that they need to be loyal and never show signs of “giving up?”
In this week’s 48 Days Podcast I answered this question from Margaret:
“I would like to know what to do when you are working so hard and everything seems to continue to fail. Do you change plans or what?”
I QUIT
Quitting a job does not mean that you’re quitting your commitment to provide for your family. Quitting a business does not mean that you are walking away from the thrill of controlling your time and income. Quitting a ministry or non-profit organization does not mean that you’ve given up on your desire to change the world or help the less fortunate.
Your job, business or ministry are just tactics to accomplish your bigger vision. Your “purpose” or “calling” define the big goal. If your job is clearly a dead end, it makes perfect sense to quit, take your skills to a better fit and release your ability to provide for your family. If your business is failing, learn from the experience and start in a new direction. I constantly have areas in my business and personal life that are on the bubble. If they are not proven successful in a very specific period of time – they’re gone – I quit but keep moving on to success in other ways.
Here are my recommendations:
* If your job provides nothing for you but a meager paycheck, plan to quit and be gone in the next 30 days.
* If you have been running your business for one year and after expenses it’s only netting you $500 a month, quit and find a new venture.
* If you started a non-profit and after two years you find that you are spending 80% of your time on administrative work and have no real economic model for continuing, consider linking arms with an established organization.
Winners quit – they quit quickly and often.
Yes I know we hear that quote about nothing matters but persistence, but if you are a duck trying to climb a tree, all persistence will get you is web feet that are to sore to even swim well. Have the maturity and guts to quit the ineffective things in your life.
While we’re at it, ask yourself if these well-known adages are always true:
1. The customer is always right
2. Everything happens for a reason
3. Never judge a book by its cover
4. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
5. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
6. Better be safe than sorry
7. Good fences make good neighbors
8. You can’t have your cake and eat it too
Don’t let commonly accepted clichés misdirect you from the unique path you are on.
PS: What do you think about this?
Because I've been thinking of this lately... about quitting my meaningless job and really work on something suits my passion and my skills...
Showing posts with label career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Joseph's Prosperity: When God Turns Evil to Good
(by David Friedman)
Source: Crosswalk
Source: Crosswalk
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:3
Joseph’s life was one filled with wrongful accusations and betrayals. He was betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused by his master’s wife, thrown into prison and left to languish there for years. Yet when Joseph surveyed his circumstances, he was able to proclaim with boldness that what others meant for evil, God had used for good:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children (Genesis 50:20-21).
This can be as true for us in our lives and careers as it was for Joseph. As a young man, Joseph did not yet have the character to sustain the destiny that God had revealed to him through his dreams. But the history of God’s remedy for Joseph’s character gap surfaces a key principle: Prosperity and promotion in his life and career came through a constant decision to trust God and serve those around him in humility.
God has to take us through circumstances that will wean us off of acting in the flesh so that He can move us to act out of His Spirit. God uses our careers to test where our identities and trust are really rooted. We should thus embrace those difficult coworkers or situations that God places in our life as His crucible for character growth so that He can position us for His abundance.
I once managed a project with a team member who was one of the most difficult individuals with whom I have ever worked. I decided to obey the words of 1 Peter 3:8-9, which states:
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
I served this individual and prayed for God’s blessing on him and, as it turned out, God used the situation to open the door for a whole new chapter in my career. If you walk in love, God will turn your circumstances around.
Despite the betrayal and backstabbing that Joseph endured, the Lord was always with Joseph, and he prospered. God had promised greatness for Joseph, yet even though he found himself working for a prison guard and condemned with a baker and a cupbearer, he chose to serve those around him. This provided the window for God to turn around his situation.
In the end, Joseph was released from prison for interpreting the pharaoh’s dreams. At the age of 30, he was put in charge of the whole land of Egypt and was second only to the pharaoh. By this time, Joseph had the character to leverage the information that God had revealed through Pharaoh’s dream.
God gave Joseph wisdom on the future trends in the grain markets that allowed him to both prosper and later save the country. In essence, he was the first grain futures trader. Ultimately, there would be enough food to feed his family when they arrived and, in particular, his brother Judah, who was carrying the line of Christ.
This Joseph Principle can work for each of us: Choose to serve and God will open the door and turn evil circumstances to good in your life and career.
Point to Ponder
Trusting God completely and serving others in any situation will open the door for God to bless us with new opportunities.
Questions to Consider
1. Do you feel that your skills and gifts do not fit with your present work situation?
2. What is a simple way for you to live out God’s will in your career based on the example of Joseph’s life?
3. Does your character line up with your skills? Do you believe that God can prosper you in every situation as He did in Joseph’s life?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
What are Your God-Given Abilities?
(by Dan Miller)
Remember when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush? God told Moses he wanted him to go back to Egypt and lead the people out to the promised land. Moses looked and said – “You’ve got to be kidding – I’m not the person for a job like that.” God assured Moses he would prepare the way and he would provide some pretty convincing miracles. Still Moses had a hard time believing he was up to the task. He pleaded – “I can’t speak well, I don’t have a college degree, I’m a convicted felon – please, send anyone else!”
Now here we have someone with an obvious opportunity. Wouldn’t you like for God to lay out such a clear plan for you; and to promise success in advance. That wasn’t good enough for Moses. He kept trying to convince God he didn’t have any of the necessary requirements for accomplishing this big job. Moses said “they won’t believe me. I don’t have anything to qualify me for doing something great.” God said, “What is that in your hand?” If you don’t remember, it was his shepherd’s staff, which turned out to be a pretty significant part of his leadership. He turned it into a snake, parted the Red Sea with it and did some other pretty cool stuff.
If you think you’re stuck, don’t have any unusual talents, don’t have the right degrees, and don’t have the credibility to have people take you seriously – let me ask you a question: “What do you have in your hand?” What natural talents do you have? What is it that you do with excellence? Do you make beautiful candles? Delicious bread? Encourage the elderly? Grow stunning flowers? Handle your children with grace? You get the idea – just look at what you have right in front of you.
With God’s help you may already have everything you need for greatness. Don’t balk when you hear your call!
Source: Crosswalk
Remember when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush? God told Moses he wanted him to go back to Egypt and lead the people out to the promised land. Moses looked and said – “You’ve got to be kidding – I’m not the person for a job like that.” God assured Moses he would prepare the way and he would provide some pretty convincing miracles. Still Moses had a hard time believing he was up to the task. He pleaded – “I can’t speak well, I don’t have a college degree, I’m a convicted felon – please, send anyone else!”
Now here we have someone with an obvious opportunity. Wouldn’t you like for God to lay out such a clear plan for you; and to promise success in advance. That wasn’t good enough for Moses. He kept trying to convince God he didn’t have any of the necessary requirements for accomplishing this big job. Moses said “they won’t believe me. I don’t have anything to qualify me for doing something great.” God said, “What is that in your hand?” If you don’t remember, it was his shepherd’s staff, which turned out to be a pretty significant part of his leadership. He turned it into a snake, parted the Red Sea with it and did some other pretty cool stuff.
If you think you’re stuck, don’t have any unusual talents, don’t have the right degrees, and don’t have the credibility to have people take you seriously – let me ask you a question: “What do you have in your hand?” What natural talents do you have? What is it that you do with excellence? Do you make beautiful candles? Delicious bread? Encourage the elderly? Grow stunning flowers? Handle your children with grace? You get the idea – just look at what you have right in front of you.
With God’s help you may already have everything you need for greatness. Don’t balk when you hear your call!
Source: Crosswalk
Employment Security in an Insecure World
(by Kevin Brennfleck and Kay Marie Brennfleck)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
What is the difference between job security and employment security? It has to do with who has the power. Job security is external; the power lies with the employer. The boss, or company, decides whether or not you will continue to have a job. In contrast, employment security is internal; it resides within you.
Develop Your Personal Brand
A key to developing employment security is knowing your value to a current, or prospective, employer (or client). The things that make you special are the components of your “personal brand.” For example, what do you do well? What are your most marketable skills, and how can you “prove” them? What knowledge or experience do you have that are assets in the job market? What personality and character traits do you have that distinguish you? Take a moment right now to jot down at least five things that make you valuable to an employer or client.
Management expert Tom Peters is credited with coining the term personal brand in his 1997 article, “The Brand Called You.” In that article, he stressed the importance of knowing what makes you different from others:
Start right now: as of this moment you're going to think of yourself differently!... You don't "belong to" any company for life, and your chief affiliation isn't to any particular "function." You're not defined by your job title and you're not confined by your job description. Starting today you are a brand….[A]sk yourself…: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different?
Many people need some help identifying their personal brand, especially if they find it difficult to see their strengths objectively. Often what we do best comes most naturally to us, and we may therefore take it for granted, thinking, “That’s not so special. I bet most people can do this.” Get some outside feedback from work associates, friends, or a professional career counselor to help you identify what makes you valuable to others.
Seek to Serve
Knowing and being able to communicate your God-given strengths to others is a core element of employment security. Whether you are in a job interview, performance review, or marketing your services, you will serve the employer or client best when you portray an accurate picture of what you can do for them. Most people downplay their skills and abilities (sometimes because of a false understanding of humility), and therefore miss having the opportunity to use their skills to meet another’s needs. God has given you gifts to serve others. To serve employers or clients fully, however, you need to know what your strengths are and be able to convey effectively how you could use your skills and abilities to meet their needs.
Source: Crosswalk
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
What is the difference between job security and employment security? It has to do with who has the power. Job security is external; the power lies with the employer. The boss, or company, decides whether or not you will continue to have a job. In contrast, employment security is internal; it resides within you.
Develop Your Personal Brand
A key to developing employment security is knowing your value to a current, or prospective, employer (or client). The things that make you special are the components of your “personal brand.” For example, what do you do well? What are your most marketable skills, and how can you “prove” them? What knowledge or experience do you have that are assets in the job market? What personality and character traits do you have that distinguish you? Take a moment right now to jot down at least five things that make you valuable to an employer or client.
Management expert Tom Peters is credited with coining the term personal brand in his 1997 article, “The Brand Called You.” In that article, he stressed the importance of knowing what makes you different from others:
Start right now: as of this moment you're going to think of yourself differently!... You don't "belong to" any company for life, and your chief affiliation isn't to any particular "function." You're not defined by your job title and you're not confined by your job description. Starting today you are a brand….[A]sk yourself…: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different?
Many people need some help identifying their personal brand, especially if they find it difficult to see their strengths objectively. Often what we do best comes most naturally to us, and we may therefore take it for granted, thinking, “That’s not so special. I bet most people can do this.” Get some outside feedback from work associates, friends, or a professional career counselor to help you identify what makes you valuable to others.
Seek to Serve
Knowing and being able to communicate your God-given strengths to others is a core element of employment security. Whether you are in a job interview, performance review, or marketing your services, you will serve the employer or client best when you portray an accurate picture of what you can do for them. Most people downplay their skills and abilities (sometimes because of a false understanding of humility), and therefore miss having the opportunity to use their skills to meet another’s needs. God has given you gifts to serve others. To serve employers or clients fully, however, you need to know what your strengths are and be able to convey effectively how you could use your skills and abilities to meet their needs.
Source: Crosswalk
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
How Gratitude Leads to Business Growth
(by Jerry Bowyer)
Source: Crosswalk
I have a friend who was always trying to talk me into being part of his next business idea. Media, finance, health care—it didn’t matter which sector, he’d always say the same thing, “Jerry, it’s gonna be bigger than Microsoft.” I’d always nod and smile. Then I would change the subject back to the insurance firm that he already owned. How are your profits? Who’s your best producer? Are you controlling your costs? I knew that would end the conversation pretty quickly, because talking about the business that he already owned was boring to him. It shouldn’t have been; he’d built it from nothing and was beginning to break into the middle tier of his industry. He never made it, though; he’d siphon all his best people off to his whim of the month, left the running of his core business to one of his mediocre guys, and, in the end – bankruptcy. The problem, I think, was ingratitude.
I know a lot of guys like this: I have another friend who repeatedly tried to recruit a top manager who would be able to take over the business quickly so my friend could move on to other more exciting ventures. He’d hire some young hotshot and in a year or so, the hot shot would leave. “I don’t know why these guys keep leaving, Jerry.” He’d say to me. I told him it’s because he keeps trying to leave, leaving the available successors with the impression that this job wasn’t worth much. Then they’d jump ship. He finally figured out that he had a first class, highly successful company, and was thankful for it and got focused again. The company is doing great now, and he’s hiring far better performers than he’s ever had before.
Another guy I know founded a highly successful state-level news analysis television program, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to start more of them. He imagined sticking pins in a map, until the map was filled with pins. The bone-head got overextended, ran out of money, and had to ask his wife and kids to help him turn the company around. In the end, he became grateful for what he had, and cared for it, and it grew. That last guy, by the way, is me.
Ingratitude, I’d say, is the most common reason for entrepreneurial failure. The studies say that businesses fail because they are undercapitalized, or because they don’t have enough cash flow to pay their debts. But behind those financial indicators, I see a character flaw: an undercapitalized business (if it’s a good business idea) is just a pre-capitalized business. Somebody was unwilling to wait, work and save or sell shares while in their current job for long enough to create the new job.
It’s not just a problem for start-ups. Established businesses suffer from ingratitude as well. After all, debt grows when businesses operating costs grow faster than their customer revenue. The owner ceases to be grateful for his current customers and switches his loyalty away from the real men and women who currently do business with him and toward the imaginary men and women who he hope will do business with him when he makes it big.
When my oldest son was about ten I bought a little plastic toy frog for him. While we were driving home from the store together he started complaining about it. Let me see it, I said. I took it looked it over and said “you’re right, not good enough for you”, and I threw it out the car window. In our house, I told him, when you complain about something, you lose it.
1900 years ago a traveling Rabbi wrote a letter to a small community of Jews who lived in Rome. Rome had, by that time, torn down even the vestigial organs associated with the Republic and had become a full-blooded dictatorial empire. Many philosophers and statesmen offered whispered explanations for the fall of the Republic, but I think the Rabbi’s letter got to the essence of it “They did not acknowledge God, neither were they grateful”. The Romans didn’t really know what they had inherited and therefore when Julius Caesar offered them peace and plenty without toil in exchange for republican legal institutions, they heartily accepted.
The foundation of asset management is gratitude. If you’re grateful for something then you’ll appreciate it; if you appreciate something then you’ll care for it; if you care for something then you will (more than likely) get more of it. In other words, if you show appreciation for the assets under your care, they’ll probably return the favor and show appreciation for you.
Source: Crosswalk
I have a friend who was always trying to talk me into being part of his next business idea. Media, finance, health care—it didn’t matter which sector, he’d always say the same thing, “Jerry, it’s gonna be bigger than Microsoft.” I’d always nod and smile. Then I would change the subject back to the insurance firm that he already owned. How are your profits? Who’s your best producer? Are you controlling your costs? I knew that would end the conversation pretty quickly, because talking about the business that he already owned was boring to him. It shouldn’t have been; he’d built it from nothing and was beginning to break into the middle tier of his industry. He never made it, though; he’d siphon all his best people off to his whim of the month, left the running of his core business to one of his mediocre guys, and, in the end – bankruptcy. The problem, I think, was ingratitude.
I know a lot of guys like this: I have another friend who repeatedly tried to recruit a top manager who would be able to take over the business quickly so my friend could move on to other more exciting ventures. He’d hire some young hotshot and in a year or so, the hot shot would leave. “I don’t know why these guys keep leaving, Jerry.” He’d say to me. I told him it’s because he keeps trying to leave, leaving the available successors with the impression that this job wasn’t worth much. Then they’d jump ship. He finally figured out that he had a first class, highly successful company, and was thankful for it and got focused again. The company is doing great now, and he’s hiring far better performers than he’s ever had before.
Another guy I know founded a highly successful state-level news analysis television program, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to start more of them. He imagined sticking pins in a map, until the map was filled with pins. The bone-head got overextended, ran out of money, and had to ask his wife and kids to help him turn the company around. In the end, he became grateful for what he had, and cared for it, and it grew. That last guy, by the way, is me.
Ingratitude, I’d say, is the most common reason for entrepreneurial failure. The studies say that businesses fail because they are undercapitalized, or because they don’t have enough cash flow to pay their debts. But behind those financial indicators, I see a character flaw: an undercapitalized business (if it’s a good business idea) is just a pre-capitalized business. Somebody was unwilling to wait, work and save or sell shares while in their current job for long enough to create the new job.
It’s not just a problem for start-ups. Established businesses suffer from ingratitude as well. After all, debt grows when businesses operating costs grow faster than their customer revenue. The owner ceases to be grateful for his current customers and switches his loyalty away from the real men and women who currently do business with him and toward the imaginary men and women who he hope will do business with him when he makes it big.
When my oldest son was about ten I bought a little plastic toy frog for him. While we were driving home from the store together he started complaining about it. Let me see it, I said. I took it looked it over and said “you’re right, not good enough for you”, and I threw it out the car window. In our house, I told him, when you complain about something, you lose it.
1900 years ago a traveling Rabbi wrote a letter to a small community of Jews who lived in Rome. Rome had, by that time, torn down even the vestigial organs associated with the Republic and had become a full-blooded dictatorial empire. Many philosophers and statesmen offered whispered explanations for the fall of the Republic, but I think the Rabbi’s letter got to the essence of it “They did not acknowledge God, neither were they grateful”. The Romans didn’t really know what they had inherited and therefore when Julius Caesar offered them peace and plenty without toil in exchange for republican legal institutions, they heartily accepted.
The foundation of asset management is gratitude. If you’re grateful for something then you’ll appreciate it; if you appreciate something then you’ll care for it; if you care for something then you will (more than likely) get more of it. In other words, if you show appreciation for the assets under your care, they’ll probably return the favor and show appreciation for you.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
How To Know What You're Good At
(by Marshall Allen)
Source: Boundless
My first job after graduating from college was at a retail store that sold mountaineering gear. But I didn’t do anything cool, like play on the climbing wall or rap with customers about high-tech backpacks. I was “inventory boy,” stuck in the basement, unloading trucks and stocking shelves. My nine months on the job felt like nine years. Hour after hour, I price-tagged fleece and sorted water bottles, all the while feeling my passion for life sucked from my soul.
I’m guessing we’ve all had jobs that didn’t fit our skills and interests. Many of us have spent hours wondering what we should be doing vocationally to pay the bills and find fulfillment. It’s almost as if asking, “What should I do with my life?” is a rite of passage to growing up.
By the grace of God I stumbled into a career in journalism. But that was after spending five years in ministry, including three years in Africa. I loved full-time ministry and God used it to dramatically shape my faith and thinking. But it wasn’t until I was 29 and became a journalist that I felt my vocation ideally suited my interests, personality and skills. I’m fortunate to have found what I believe is my long-term career, but I also know many others who have had a much more frustrating search. Fortunately, resources are available to help.
Authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton wrote Now, Discover Your Strengths to help people understand themselves, so they can achieve personal and professional success. Buckingham, senior vice president of The Gallup Organization, and Clifton, a prominent psychologist, want people to be aware of their natural talents so they can turn them into strengths that can be utilized in everyday life. They believe that when we utilize our talents we’ll achieve the highest levels of excellence and achievement, while experiencing the most satisfaction. It’s like finding a way to do the things you love, the things that come naturally.
Many of us try bettering ourselves by identifying our weaknesses and then working to correct them. But Buckingham and Clifton take a different approach. They believe it’s a waste of time for people to try and fix their weaknesses. That would be like me spending years to become a master of retail inventory when I’m a people-person who’s lousy at working alone. Buckingham and Clifton say we should only give as much attention to our weaknesses as is necessary to prevent them from undermining our strengths.
To help readers pinpoint their strengths they offer an online survey at www.strengthsfinder.com. (One code for accessing the test is included in each book.) They define “talent” as “any recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied.” For instance, if a person is inquisitive, charming or competitive, she can apply these talents productively. The Strengths-Finder survey helps people find their talents —the areas where they have the greatest potential for a “strength,” defined as “consistent near perfect performance in any activity.”
I didn’t have high hopes for the Strengths-Finder survey because personality tests usually disappoint me. It seems like they just rehash self-reported information. Before I took the test, I skimmed the 34 Signature Themes – they could also be called talents – identified by Buckingham and Clifton. I anticipated that Belief would be one of my primary Signature Themes, because it describes a person who has enduring core values like ethics, faith and family. I also assumed, given my love of writing and storytelling, that Communication would be one of my primary Signature Themes. I was wrong on both counts. And I was impressed with the test. I think the results pegged my personality in many ways, which is both scary and intriguing.
It took me about 30 minutes answer the 180 questions on the test. The results, featuring five of the 34 Signature Themes, supposedly represent the way I naturally think, feel and behave. My five: Includer, Woo (which stands for “Winning Others Over”), Responsibility, Activator and Input. The names of the Signature Themes may seem like psychological mumbo-jumbo, but the authors do a good job of describing each one, making them easy to understand.
Buckingham and Clifton say we can use three clues to identify or confirm our talents: yearnings, rapid learning and satisfaction. Our yearnings reflect a physical reality that show how our brains are wired. “So no matter how repressive the external influences prove to be, these stronger connections will keep calling out to you,” they write. Rapid learning describes the feeling of your brain lighting up when you learn a new skill that suits you. “…If you learn it rapidly, you should look deeper,” they say. “You will be able to identify the talent or talents that made it possible.” The final clue is satisfaction. When you operate within your talents, it feels good.
When I studied the description of my top five Signature Themes, then compared them to my life experience, I could see the truth in the descriptions. The Signature Theme Input describes a person who is inquisitive and excited by the world’s complexity and infinite variety. That’s why I find writing so stimulating. As a journalist I’m confronted daily with realities – everything from crime, homelessness and celebrity success – that challenge my assumptions.
I see my propensity to be an Includer almost every day, too. When a new person came to my school, or now when a new employee comes to my office, I feel an immediate need to introduce myself and make them feel welcome. I don’t do it out of obligation, but because I enjoy meeting people and helping them integrate into the mainstream. I’ve also seen that some of my greatest moments of shame came from betraying my natural instinct to include others. As an adolescent, I remember joining a group in bullying some poor kid; I still regret that.
According to Buckingham and Clifton, a person’s Signature Themes have little to say about what field he should be in, although they do offer some guidance about roles. The Gallup Organization conducted more than 2 million interviews to develop the book and survey, and found people with similar talents often excelled in very different fields. Also, people with different talents can excel in the same roles. The authors say the primary truth is that “you will be most successful when you craft your role to play to your signature talents most of the time.”
If there’s one critique I have of, Now, Discover Your Strengths, it’s that it left me wanting more. The book and online survey fulfill their promise – they identified my natural talents and encouraged me to focus on them. But the book didn’t tell me how to apply my talents to life so they become strengths. I want Buckingham and Clifton to show me steps I can take to turn my Signature Themes into skills I can use in everyday life. Realistically, this is probably asking too much of any book, and the authors have given their readers a good launching point. I have the rest of my life to figure out how the rest.
Source: Boundless
My first job after graduating from college was at a retail store that sold mountaineering gear. But I didn’t do anything cool, like play on the climbing wall or rap with customers about high-tech backpacks. I was “inventory boy,” stuck in the basement, unloading trucks and stocking shelves. My nine months on the job felt like nine years. Hour after hour, I price-tagged fleece and sorted water bottles, all the while feeling my passion for life sucked from my soul.
I’m guessing we’ve all had jobs that didn’t fit our skills and interests. Many of us have spent hours wondering what we should be doing vocationally to pay the bills and find fulfillment. It’s almost as if asking, “What should I do with my life?” is a rite of passage to growing up.
By the grace of God I stumbled into a career in journalism. But that was after spending five years in ministry, including three years in Africa. I loved full-time ministry and God used it to dramatically shape my faith and thinking. But it wasn’t until I was 29 and became a journalist that I felt my vocation ideally suited my interests, personality and skills. I’m fortunate to have found what I believe is my long-term career, but I also know many others who have had a much more frustrating search. Fortunately, resources are available to help.
Authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton wrote Now, Discover Your Strengths to help people understand themselves, so they can achieve personal and professional success. Buckingham, senior vice president of The Gallup Organization, and Clifton, a prominent psychologist, want people to be aware of their natural talents so they can turn them into strengths that can be utilized in everyday life. They believe that when we utilize our talents we’ll achieve the highest levels of excellence and achievement, while experiencing the most satisfaction. It’s like finding a way to do the things you love, the things that come naturally.
Many of us try bettering ourselves by identifying our weaknesses and then working to correct them. But Buckingham and Clifton take a different approach. They believe it’s a waste of time for people to try and fix their weaknesses. That would be like me spending years to become a master of retail inventory when I’m a people-person who’s lousy at working alone. Buckingham and Clifton say we should only give as much attention to our weaknesses as is necessary to prevent them from undermining our strengths.
To help readers pinpoint their strengths they offer an online survey at www.strengthsfinder.com. (One code for accessing the test is included in each book.) They define “talent” as “any recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied.” For instance, if a person is inquisitive, charming or competitive, she can apply these talents productively. The Strengths-Finder survey helps people find their talents —the areas where they have the greatest potential for a “strength,” defined as “consistent near perfect performance in any activity.”
I didn’t have high hopes for the Strengths-Finder survey because personality tests usually disappoint me. It seems like they just rehash self-reported information. Before I took the test, I skimmed the 34 Signature Themes – they could also be called talents – identified by Buckingham and Clifton. I anticipated that Belief would be one of my primary Signature Themes, because it describes a person who has enduring core values like ethics, faith and family. I also assumed, given my love of writing and storytelling, that Communication would be one of my primary Signature Themes. I was wrong on both counts. And I was impressed with the test. I think the results pegged my personality in many ways, which is both scary and intriguing.
It took me about 30 minutes answer the 180 questions on the test. The results, featuring five of the 34 Signature Themes, supposedly represent the way I naturally think, feel and behave. My five: Includer, Woo (which stands for “Winning Others Over”), Responsibility, Activator and Input. The names of the Signature Themes may seem like psychological mumbo-jumbo, but the authors do a good job of describing each one, making them easy to understand.
Buckingham and Clifton say we can use three clues to identify or confirm our talents: yearnings, rapid learning and satisfaction. Our yearnings reflect a physical reality that show how our brains are wired. “So no matter how repressive the external influences prove to be, these stronger connections will keep calling out to you,” they write. Rapid learning describes the feeling of your brain lighting up when you learn a new skill that suits you. “…If you learn it rapidly, you should look deeper,” they say. “You will be able to identify the talent or talents that made it possible.” The final clue is satisfaction. When you operate within your talents, it feels good.
When I studied the description of my top five Signature Themes, then compared them to my life experience, I could see the truth in the descriptions. The Signature Theme Input describes a person who is inquisitive and excited by the world’s complexity and infinite variety. That’s why I find writing so stimulating. As a journalist I’m confronted daily with realities – everything from crime, homelessness and celebrity success – that challenge my assumptions.
I see my propensity to be an Includer almost every day, too. When a new person came to my school, or now when a new employee comes to my office, I feel an immediate need to introduce myself and make them feel welcome. I don’t do it out of obligation, but because I enjoy meeting people and helping them integrate into the mainstream. I’ve also seen that some of my greatest moments of shame came from betraying my natural instinct to include others. As an adolescent, I remember joining a group in bullying some poor kid; I still regret that.
According to Buckingham and Clifton, a person’s Signature Themes have little to say about what field he should be in, although they do offer some guidance about roles. The Gallup Organization conducted more than 2 million interviews to develop the book and survey, and found people with similar talents often excelled in very different fields. Also, people with different talents can excel in the same roles. The authors say the primary truth is that “you will be most successful when you craft your role to play to your signature talents most of the time.”
If there’s one critique I have of, Now, Discover Your Strengths, it’s that it left me wanting more. The book and online survey fulfill their promise – they identified my natural talents and encouraged me to focus on them. But the book didn’t tell me how to apply my talents to life so they become strengths. I want Buckingham and Clifton to show me steps I can take to turn my Signature Themes into skills I can use in everyday life. Realistically, this is probably asking too much of any book, and the authors have given their readers a good launching point. I have the rest of my life to figure out how the rest.
Career VS Calling
(by Gary Barkalow)
During the 1998 World Soccer Championship, Nike ran a commercial with no narrative and only one phrase at the bottom of the screen. The scene begins with a man setting the timer on his watch, opening his front door and starting to run. Suddenly, runners, one after another, representing different countries, begin to appear behind him. Struggling to maintain his astounding position against the world's best, he pushes past his known limits. The commercial ends with him sprinting down the alley he started on, toward his front door. He runs up the front porch, opens and closes the door, hits his timer button on his watch and slowly walks further back into his house, never looking back. The commercial ends with the phrase, "What are you getting ready for?"
Whether you're a freshman registering for your first spate of classes or a senior filling out job applications, that question hangs heavy in the mind of most students. What does your future hold and what courses should you take to prepare for it? I've heard of students covering seven or eight majors in the course of four years, finally settling for one in a desperate attempt to graduate on time. Why is it so hard to choose a major? Maybe because you feel like you're being forced to commit to a life long career path. But what if you get three years out from college and decide zoology wasn't such a glamorous vocation after all?
As important as this decision seems, there is more at stake than good money and self-fulfillment on the job. God is shaping you for something bigger. In Ephesians, Paul reminds us that "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). God has something specific in mind for you — your calling. And the decisions you make about your major, your job, even the way you spend your time flow from knowing what your calling is.
Know Your Own Heart
The call of God is both universal and personal. He desires intimate relationship with all of his creation — a universal longing that none would perish. Yet, when you heed that call, there is a deeper plan to discover — a specific assignment only you can complete; "the Lord has assigned to each his task" (1 Corinthians 3:5).
You are unique among God's creation. In addition to His universal commands (do justice, love mercy, etc.) He placed in you a call that is unlike any other. "The call of God ... is implicit," wrote Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. It's "like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes...."
The Fat Eagle's Fate
In 1984, I was in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. Los Angeles. The entertainment capitol of the world. Everyone expected it to be one of the most spectacular opening ceremonies to date. Plans included the flight of an American Bald Eagle from the western rim of the L.A. Coliseum, around the perimeter, to the top of the Olympic Rings at the playing of the National Anthem.
The choreographers hired one of the top Hollywood trainers to work with the eagle. But, he ran into several problems. First, the eagle was a member of the distinguished endangered species list and extremely hard to find. The trainer found only one in captivity. Second, the eagle — misfortunately named Bomber — had not flown during his 12 years of captivity. He looked more like a Butterball Turkey than a eagle. After two months of intense training, Bomber journeyed to the coliseum for several trial runs.
Tragically, the stress of the rehearsal killed him. Actually, he died of vascular collapse and an acute bacterial infection. In the words of the trainer, reported in Time magazine, "The eagle had been fat and coddled for years and when finally called upon to behave like an eagle, he failed."
In this life, there is something you will be called to do. Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit and your passion and gifting, God is equipping you to do His will. Are you training? Are you ready? When it's time for your flight, will you be toned and strong, or coddled and fat?
Unlocking the Secret
Janey feels a "calling" to the mission field, Mark is driven to be a doctor, and Alyssa wants to go to the inner city as a teacher. But you're just happy to be passing biology. So you're thinking, Are you sure everyone has this overarching purpose in life, this so-called calling? How do you discover something you've never thought about, when it sounds as easy as holding the wind in your hands? God promised in the Psalms that He would guide us: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Ps. 32:8). In addition to spending a lot of time talking with God about His plans for your life, you can take your cues from the person He created you to be.
Your life is full of hints about your calling. They're woven through your dreams and passions and visible in what motivates you and what you're good at. First, you become aware of needs. You may find yourself thinking, Something needs to be done for the homeless and hungry in our city; for single moms left alone to fend for themselves and their children; for those who haven't heard a compassionate and clear presentation of the Gospel; for the outlandish policies government is making.
Over time, your interests narrow. You start thinking, reading and talking about one need more than others. You move from thinking about homeless shelters, to actually working in one. It's becoming intensely personal now. Eventually, if your heart is not "choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures" (Luke 8:14-15), you will find focus on one or two of those areas and be moved almost irrepressibly to action. You may start working full time for a homeless shelter, become actively involved as a board member or run for public office.
What needs weigh heavily on your heart? Is there an issue worth "pounding the table" over? Is there a problem you feel compelled to solve?
Trading Somersaults for Spreadsheets
You don't just think. You also do. What are you good at doing? God created us with the potential and nature to do His will — your calling is accompanied by the innate qualities and characteristics you'll need to live it. Your gifting includes spiritual gifts, natural abilities, acquired skills and personality traits — all of which God imparts and develops. Your gifts enable your passions. Without them, you'll be limited. That's why so much of life, especially in college, has more to do with what God is doing in us than through us. Our ability to grow and improve will determine our ability to fulfill our calling.
Typically, your gifting determines what you enjoy doing. When you are operating in the abilities God has created in you, for His purposes, you will experience joy. Mistakenly, we can sometimes feel guilty - not guilty about what we do enjoy but rather about what we don't enjoy. Again, God has put the desire in us to do certain things in certain ways.
Even if you're not living according to God's will, you will find joy when you use the talents God has given you - your "natural abilities." They are an intricate part of your design. This is true for most people. But that joy will be limited and meaningless.
Joy does not preclude hardship. Oswald Chambers said "God gives us a vision and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way." Struggles, frustrations, small steps forward, failures, misunderstanding, brokenness: unless these, too, are welcomed with a certain joy, the claim to being called has a hollow ring.
I was a gymnast for fifteen years with Athletes in Action, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. During my final year, I sensed that God was leading me to fulfill my calling somewhere else. I struggled with this because I enjoyed what I was doing and wasn't dreaming of doing something else. A friend of mine asked me several, very penetrating questions. He asked if I was passionate about evangelism. That was a tough question for me. After all, I worked for an aggressive evangelistic organization committed to reaching the world with the Gospel by the year 2,000. With a little bit of guilt, I admitted that, although I was committed to the importance of evangelism, I was not passionate about it. Then he asked me if I was passionate about sports. With a little embarrassment, I admitted that the only sport I was passionate about was gymnastics (and that was fading along with my back handspring).
Then he asked me what I really enjoyed about my work. I told him that I loved to help people and organizations find clarity and purpose in their work. That was a point of revelation. Suddenly, I could put my finger on what God had put in my heart to do. Shortly after we talked, Focus on the Family offered me a job that relied on these skills. I knew fairly quickly, by knowing what motivates me and what I'm good at, that God was moving me.
Before I started with Focus, another friend counseled me that God may be placing me in a new setting because my gifting and character needed to be stretched and developed beyond what it was in my current job. Both conversations proved critical to what I was to encounter. During my first year, I felt totally lost. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do or what I had to offer. I doubted every ability and interest I thought I had, even the belief that there was a calling on my life. I was so busy trying to fit in, to be somebody, to do something that was appreciated and needed, that I forgot who I was. If it wasn't for God, I would have lost my heart. God reassured me that He was in this to deepen my character. After twelve months, I realized that I needed to live from my heart, to bring who I was, not who I thought others wanted me to be, to the position and to God. It was at that point that my enthusiasm and sense of calling returned. My contribution to my position increased dramatically because I was working out of my passion and gifting, with a renewed sense of intimacy with God.
There are many tests, inventories and indicators you can take to learn what your spiritual gifts, personality type and abilities are. One of the most helpful things I did to bring more clarity to my calling was to identify several action words that describe what motivates me. These words create for me a sense of excitement and energy. You see, each person has a certain way of operating, a mode of action, that is unique. I discovered my "action verbs" by drawing a line down the center of a marker board. On one side I wrote the things I enjoyed doing — the things that energized me — over the past two years. On the other side I wrote the things I disliked; the things that sapped my strength. When my list was finished, there was a theme of common words that portrayed my heart in action. (You can do this exercise, too.)
Once you know your action verbs, review them frequently and see if they continue to represent your heart. When you have established several words that describe your enthusiasm and gifting, you will be better able to discern the opportunities that God is putting before you in alignment with your calling. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us about a man who, in preparation for his journey, gave each of his servants an opportunity for investment and achievement. He did not give them identical opportunities, or talents. Instead, he gave each servant a portion consistent with their ability. In the same way, God gives us opportunities according to our abilities, which we will only recognize if we know what our gifting is.
The Ultimate Why
Discovering and developing your calling sounds like a lot of work. But it's worth it. Calling is essential to your spiritual life. When you live out of your passion and gifting, trusting God to lead you, you are truly alive. Bill and Kathy Peek write about it in their book, Discover Your Destiny.
When we are engaged in what God has called us to do, every part of our spiritual life comes alive. There's a reason to grow. We have a compelling reason to pray, to stay in close contact with our leader and Guide when we walk unfamiliar, threatening paths. There's a strong drive for fellowship, allies and friends, close at hand, because what God calls us to, we can't do alone. There's an undeniable need for worship, a clear vision of who God is and His commitment to meet our every need as we walk with Him into the future.
God has gifted you to do a work for which you are uniquely qualified. The Apostle Paul urges us to offer our bodies — our very selves — as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). This offering can't be made in some abstract way with pious words or religious acts. That is why, according to Os Guiness in The Call, "calling is the most comprehensive reorientation and the most profound motivation in human experience; the ultimate why for living in all history."
During the 1998 World Soccer Championship, Nike ran a commercial with no narrative and only one phrase at the bottom of the screen. The scene begins with a man setting the timer on his watch, opening his front door and starting to run. Suddenly, runners, one after another, representing different countries, begin to appear behind him. Struggling to maintain his astounding position against the world's best, he pushes past his known limits. The commercial ends with him sprinting down the alley he started on, toward his front door. He runs up the front porch, opens and closes the door, hits his timer button on his watch and slowly walks further back into his house, never looking back. The commercial ends with the phrase, "What are you getting ready for?"
Whether you're a freshman registering for your first spate of classes or a senior filling out job applications, that question hangs heavy in the mind of most students. What does your future hold and what courses should you take to prepare for it? I've heard of students covering seven or eight majors in the course of four years, finally settling for one in a desperate attempt to graduate on time. Why is it so hard to choose a major? Maybe because you feel like you're being forced to commit to a life long career path. But what if you get three years out from college and decide zoology wasn't such a glamorous vocation after all?
As important as this decision seems, there is more at stake than good money and self-fulfillment on the job. God is shaping you for something bigger. In Ephesians, Paul reminds us that "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). God has something specific in mind for you — your calling. And the decisions you make about your major, your job, even the way you spend your time flow from knowing what your calling is.
Know Your Own Heart
The call of God is both universal and personal. He desires intimate relationship with all of his creation — a universal longing that none would perish. Yet, when you heed that call, there is a deeper plan to discover — a specific assignment only you can complete; "the Lord has assigned to each his task" (1 Corinthians 3:5).
You are unique among God's creation. In addition to His universal commands (do justice, love mercy, etc.) He placed in you a call that is unlike any other. "The call of God ... is implicit," wrote Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. It's "like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes...."
The Fat Eagle's Fate
In 1984, I was in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. Los Angeles. The entertainment capitol of the world. Everyone expected it to be one of the most spectacular opening ceremonies to date. Plans included the flight of an American Bald Eagle from the western rim of the L.A. Coliseum, around the perimeter, to the top of the Olympic Rings at the playing of the National Anthem.
The choreographers hired one of the top Hollywood trainers to work with the eagle. But, he ran into several problems. First, the eagle was a member of the distinguished endangered species list and extremely hard to find. The trainer found only one in captivity. Second, the eagle — misfortunately named Bomber — had not flown during his 12 years of captivity. He looked more like a Butterball Turkey than a eagle. After two months of intense training, Bomber journeyed to the coliseum for several trial runs.
Tragically, the stress of the rehearsal killed him. Actually, he died of vascular collapse and an acute bacterial infection. In the words of the trainer, reported in Time magazine, "The eagle had been fat and coddled for years and when finally called upon to behave like an eagle, he failed."
In this life, there is something you will be called to do. Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit and your passion and gifting, God is equipping you to do His will. Are you training? Are you ready? When it's time for your flight, will you be toned and strong, or coddled and fat?
Unlocking the Secret
Janey feels a "calling" to the mission field, Mark is driven to be a doctor, and Alyssa wants to go to the inner city as a teacher. But you're just happy to be passing biology. So you're thinking, Are you sure everyone has this overarching purpose in life, this so-called calling? How do you discover something you've never thought about, when it sounds as easy as holding the wind in your hands? God promised in the Psalms that He would guide us: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Ps. 32:8). In addition to spending a lot of time talking with God about His plans for your life, you can take your cues from the person He created you to be.
Your life is full of hints about your calling. They're woven through your dreams and passions and visible in what motivates you and what you're good at. First, you become aware of needs. You may find yourself thinking, Something needs to be done for the homeless and hungry in our city; for single moms left alone to fend for themselves and their children; for those who haven't heard a compassionate and clear presentation of the Gospel; for the outlandish policies government is making.
Over time, your interests narrow. You start thinking, reading and talking about one need more than others. You move from thinking about homeless shelters, to actually working in one. It's becoming intensely personal now. Eventually, if your heart is not "choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures" (Luke 8:14-15), you will find focus on one or two of those areas and be moved almost irrepressibly to action. You may start working full time for a homeless shelter, become actively involved as a board member or run for public office.
What needs weigh heavily on your heart? Is there an issue worth "pounding the table" over? Is there a problem you feel compelled to solve?
Trading Somersaults for Spreadsheets
You don't just think. You also do. What are you good at doing? God created us with the potential and nature to do His will — your calling is accompanied by the innate qualities and characteristics you'll need to live it. Your gifting includes spiritual gifts, natural abilities, acquired skills and personality traits — all of which God imparts and develops. Your gifts enable your passions. Without them, you'll be limited. That's why so much of life, especially in college, has more to do with what God is doing in us than through us. Our ability to grow and improve will determine our ability to fulfill our calling.
Typically, your gifting determines what you enjoy doing. When you are operating in the abilities God has created in you, for His purposes, you will experience joy. Mistakenly, we can sometimes feel guilty - not guilty about what we do enjoy but rather about what we don't enjoy. Again, God has put the desire in us to do certain things in certain ways.
Even if you're not living according to God's will, you will find joy when you use the talents God has given you - your "natural abilities." They are an intricate part of your design. This is true for most people. But that joy will be limited and meaningless.
Joy does not preclude hardship. Oswald Chambers said "God gives us a vision and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way." Struggles, frustrations, small steps forward, failures, misunderstanding, brokenness: unless these, too, are welcomed with a certain joy, the claim to being called has a hollow ring.
I was a gymnast for fifteen years with Athletes in Action, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. During my final year, I sensed that God was leading me to fulfill my calling somewhere else. I struggled with this because I enjoyed what I was doing and wasn't dreaming of doing something else. A friend of mine asked me several, very penetrating questions. He asked if I was passionate about evangelism. That was a tough question for me. After all, I worked for an aggressive evangelistic organization committed to reaching the world with the Gospel by the year 2,000. With a little bit of guilt, I admitted that, although I was committed to the importance of evangelism, I was not passionate about it. Then he asked me if I was passionate about sports. With a little embarrassment, I admitted that the only sport I was passionate about was gymnastics (and that was fading along with my back handspring).
Then he asked me what I really enjoyed about my work. I told him that I loved to help people and organizations find clarity and purpose in their work. That was a point of revelation. Suddenly, I could put my finger on what God had put in my heart to do. Shortly after we talked, Focus on the Family offered me a job that relied on these skills. I knew fairly quickly, by knowing what motivates me and what I'm good at, that God was moving me.
Before I started with Focus, another friend counseled me that God may be placing me in a new setting because my gifting and character needed to be stretched and developed beyond what it was in my current job. Both conversations proved critical to what I was to encounter. During my first year, I felt totally lost. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do or what I had to offer. I doubted every ability and interest I thought I had, even the belief that there was a calling on my life. I was so busy trying to fit in, to be somebody, to do something that was appreciated and needed, that I forgot who I was. If it wasn't for God, I would have lost my heart. God reassured me that He was in this to deepen my character. After twelve months, I realized that I needed to live from my heart, to bring who I was, not who I thought others wanted me to be, to the position and to God. It was at that point that my enthusiasm and sense of calling returned. My contribution to my position increased dramatically because I was working out of my passion and gifting, with a renewed sense of intimacy with God.
There are many tests, inventories and indicators you can take to learn what your spiritual gifts, personality type and abilities are. One of the most helpful things I did to bring more clarity to my calling was to identify several action words that describe what motivates me. These words create for me a sense of excitement and energy. You see, each person has a certain way of operating, a mode of action, that is unique. I discovered my "action verbs" by drawing a line down the center of a marker board. On one side I wrote the things I enjoyed doing — the things that energized me — over the past two years. On the other side I wrote the things I disliked; the things that sapped my strength. When my list was finished, there was a theme of common words that portrayed my heart in action. (You can do this exercise, too.)
Once you know your action verbs, review them frequently and see if they continue to represent your heart. When you have established several words that describe your enthusiasm and gifting, you will be better able to discern the opportunities that God is putting before you in alignment with your calling. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us about a man who, in preparation for his journey, gave each of his servants an opportunity for investment and achievement. He did not give them identical opportunities, or talents. Instead, he gave each servant a portion consistent with their ability. In the same way, God gives us opportunities according to our abilities, which we will only recognize if we know what our gifting is.
The Ultimate Why
Discovering and developing your calling sounds like a lot of work. But it's worth it. Calling is essential to your spiritual life. When you live out of your passion and gifting, trusting God to lead you, you are truly alive. Bill and Kathy Peek write about it in their book, Discover Your Destiny.
When we are engaged in what God has called us to do, every part of our spiritual life comes alive. There's a reason to grow. We have a compelling reason to pray, to stay in close contact with our leader and Guide when we walk unfamiliar, threatening paths. There's a strong drive for fellowship, allies and friends, close at hand, because what God calls us to, we can't do alone. There's an undeniable need for worship, a clear vision of who God is and His commitment to meet our every need as we walk with Him into the future.
God has gifted you to do a work for which you are uniquely qualified. The Apostle Paul urges us to offer our bodies — our very selves — as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). This offering can't be made in some abstract way with pious words or religious acts. That is why, according to Os Guiness in The Call, "calling is the most comprehensive reorientation and the most profound motivation in human experience; the ultimate why for living in all history."
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
When Our Plans Aren't God's Plans
(by Cliff Young)
Do you ever look at your life and wonder how you got where you are? Do you ever compare your life to your friends’ or neighbors’ lives? Do you ever wonder if you’ll ever reach those goals that you set for yourself or realize the dreams that you have?
Me too.
I’m a planner by nature … and by habit … and by profession. I like to know where I am, where I’m going and what’s going to happen. You can call it being in control or you can call it being a control freak. I’m not one who rebels against changes, but they should all be within the boundaries of MY plan.
Do you know anyone like that? Are you like that? Fortunately for me (and those around me) I’m learning to not be “that” extreme anymore. I used to think that I could plan out my whole life and live it accordingly. Oftentimes, my plans unraveled and I would find myself wondering …
Why did my plans go wrong?
Did I make a wrong turn somewhere that led me down this road?
Are my dreams not going to be realized?
Why me?!
According to Proverbs 16:9 (often quoted by “non-planners”), “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
I not only “planned” my course in my heart, but also in my mind, body, spirit, on paper and on my calendar! By the time that I graduated from college, I had my whole life laid out before my eyes. One thing that I didn’t “plan” on being at this point in my schedule was SINGLE!
For many of us, our “plans” haven’t worked out exactly according to our calendars and PDAs. For many of us, it’s a constant adjustment to what we had “thought” or “planned.” For many of us, something happened that was totally out of our control.
So, how have you reacted?
Complain? Question? Curse?
Job didn’t “plan” on losing his family, his wealth, and his livelihood. He didn’t plan on being raided, having fireballs fall from the sky killing his livestock, having a tornado hit his family’s house killing his sons and daughters, and being inflicted with boils. He reacted to his situation as many of us probably would have (or do each day when the “unexpected” happens).
“I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul” (Job 10:1).
“Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands, while sending joy and prosperity to the wicked? (Job 10:3).
“Cursed be the day of my birth, and cursed be the night when I was conceived” (Job 3:3).
Job’s wife, who was in the midst of the same suffering, said, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9).
If there was anyone who felt as if he had control over his plans and future, it would have been Job. Here was a man who, according to most standards, was a success. He had a large family, wealth beyond what any of us could imagine, and his health. Beyond that the Lord said, “He is the finest man in all the earth—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil” (Job 1:8). In other words, he “had it all.”
“But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts or understand his plan” (Micah 4:12).
At one time or another in everyone’s life, we all face disappointment and plans that don’t meet our expectations. If you ever think that you’re the only person on earth that has had their plans and dreams shattered, it only takes one episode of auditions from American Idol to confirm that “you are not alone.”
Emil Zatopek, Four-time Olympic gold medalist, may have prophesied about future American Idol contestants or many of us when he said:
“You can’t climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don’t fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness.”
Lofty goals and aiming high isn’t wrong, in fact a lot of people probably don’t shoot high enough. The question, “How do you deal with disappointment and unfulfilled expectations?” arises when our standards aren’t met and the plans we make don’t work out.
I wonder …
How many of us have had our enthusiasm for something (or somebody) turn into resentment and bitterness?
How many of us still carry baggage from our childhood, from a former job, or from a past relationship?
How many of us are allowing disappointments from yesterday to impact our lives negatively today?
Outcome
Job wasn’t immune to speaking his peace. After many days of questions and complaints from Job, God answered him.
“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who defined the boundaries of the sea as if burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? …” (Job 37-41).
Job replied to the Lord, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You ask, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me?” (Job 42:1-3).
Are you discouraged, discontent, bitter? The disgruntlement and baggage from expectations not met can take away from the joy and the future that the Lord has, wants, and “plans” for each one of us. That joy often comes in ways we could never imagine or envision for ourselves.
Could the elder Abraham and Sarah have planned on conceiving a baby in their later years? (Genesis 21)
Could the barren Hannah have planned on her womb being opened so she could conceive a baby? (1 Samuel 1)
Could the widowed and childless Ruth have planned on remarrying a wealthy landowner and bearing a son? (Ruth 4)
How?
Despite Job’s outbursts of frustration and exasperation, he never lost faith and he never denounced God.
“At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10).
Abraham, Hannah, and Ruth never lost their faith either. They continued to pray and rely upon the Lord during their grief.
“Then Abraham prayed to God …” (Genesis 20:17).
“….For I (Hannah) have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow” (1 Samuel 1:16).
(Boaz to Ruth) “May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully” (Ruth 2:12).
The interesting thing about Job’s case is that he never gets “answers” to his questions, but he does get a renewed vision of God, and died “an old man who had lived a long, good life” (Job 42:17).
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Many times you hear that passage quoted alone, but we really need to read on to receive the full instructions of that passage.
“’In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:12-14).
The Lord does not hide from us in times of need. Oftentimes, we may be so wrapped up in ourselves and the situation that we don’t even see the Lord in the midst of it.
The next time you find yourself feeling alone or on a path that you didn’t plan on, seek the Lord, take refuge in Him, and spend time in prayer. Ask Him to help you conform your “plans” to His plans for your life.
Source: Crosswalk
Do you ever look at your life and wonder how you got where you are? Do you ever compare your life to your friends’ or neighbors’ lives? Do you ever wonder if you’ll ever reach those goals that you set for yourself or realize the dreams that you have?
Me too.
I’m a planner by nature … and by habit … and by profession. I like to know where I am, where I’m going and what’s going to happen. You can call it being in control or you can call it being a control freak. I’m not one who rebels against changes, but they should all be within the boundaries of MY plan.
Do you know anyone like that? Are you like that? Fortunately for me (and those around me) I’m learning to not be “that” extreme anymore. I used to think that I could plan out my whole life and live it accordingly. Oftentimes, my plans unraveled and I would find myself wondering …
Why did my plans go wrong?
Did I make a wrong turn somewhere that led me down this road?
Are my dreams not going to be realized?
Why me?!
According to Proverbs 16:9 (often quoted by “non-planners”), “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
I not only “planned” my course in my heart, but also in my mind, body, spirit, on paper and on my calendar! By the time that I graduated from college, I had my whole life laid out before my eyes. One thing that I didn’t “plan” on being at this point in my schedule was SINGLE!
For many of us, our “plans” haven’t worked out exactly according to our calendars and PDAs. For many of us, it’s a constant adjustment to what we had “thought” or “planned.” For many of us, something happened that was totally out of our control.
So, how have you reacted?
Complain? Question? Curse?
Job didn’t “plan” on losing his family, his wealth, and his livelihood. He didn’t plan on being raided, having fireballs fall from the sky killing his livestock, having a tornado hit his family’s house killing his sons and daughters, and being inflicted with boils. He reacted to his situation as many of us probably would have (or do each day when the “unexpected” happens).
“I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul” (Job 10:1).
“Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands, while sending joy and prosperity to the wicked? (Job 10:3).
“Cursed be the day of my birth, and cursed be the night when I was conceived” (Job 3:3).
Job’s wife, who was in the midst of the same suffering, said, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9).
If there was anyone who felt as if he had control over his plans and future, it would have been Job. Here was a man who, according to most standards, was a success. He had a large family, wealth beyond what any of us could imagine, and his health. Beyond that the Lord said, “He is the finest man in all the earth—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil” (Job 1:8). In other words, he “had it all.”
“But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts or understand his plan” (Micah 4:12).
At one time or another in everyone’s life, we all face disappointment and plans that don’t meet our expectations. If you ever think that you’re the only person on earth that has had their plans and dreams shattered, it only takes one episode of auditions from American Idol to confirm that “you are not alone.”
Emil Zatopek, Four-time Olympic gold medalist, may have prophesied about future American Idol contestants or many of us when he said:
“You can’t climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don’t fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness.”
Lofty goals and aiming high isn’t wrong, in fact a lot of people probably don’t shoot high enough. The question, “How do you deal with disappointment and unfulfilled expectations?” arises when our standards aren’t met and the plans we make don’t work out.
I wonder …
How many of us have had our enthusiasm for something (or somebody) turn into resentment and bitterness?
How many of us still carry baggage from our childhood, from a former job, or from a past relationship?
How many of us are allowing disappointments from yesterday to impact our lives negatively today?
Outcome
Job wasn’t immune to speaking his peace. After many days of questions and complaints from Job, God answered him.
“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who defined the boundaries of the sea as if burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? …” (Job 37-41).
Job replied to the Lord, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You ask, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me?” (Job 42:1-3).
Are you discouraged, discontent, bitter? The disgruntlement and baggage from expectations not met can take away from the joy and the future that the Lord has, wants, and “plans” for each one of us. That joy often comes in ways we could never imagine or envision for ourselves.
Could the elder Abraham and Sarah have planned on conceiving a baby in their later years? (Genesis 21)
Could the barren Hannah have planned on her womb being opened so she could conceive a baby? (1 Samuel 1)
Could the widowed and childless Ruth have planned on remarrying a wealthy landowner and bearing a son? (Ruth 4)
How?
Despite Job’s outbursts of frustration and exasperation, he never lost faith and he never denounced God.
“At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10).
Abraham, Hannah, and Ruth never lost their faith either. They continued to pray and rely upon the Lord during their grief.
“Then Abraham prayed to God …” (Genesis 20:17).
“….For I (Hannah) have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow” (1 Samuel 1:16).
(Boaz to Ruth) “May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully” (Ruth 2:12).
The interesting thing about Job’s case is that he never gets “answers” to his questions, but he does get a renewed vision of God, and died “an old man who had lived a long, good life” (Job 42:17).
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Many times you hear that passage quoted alone, but we really need to read on to receive the full instructions of that passage.
“’In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:12-14).
The Lord does not hide from us in times of need. Oftentimes, we may be so wrapped up in ourselves and the situation that we don’t even see the Lord in the midst of it.
The next time you find yourself feeling alone or on a path that you didn’t plan on, seek the Lord, take refuge in Him, and spend time in prayer. Ask Him to help you conform your “plans” to His plans for your life.
Source: Crosswalk
Monday, October 20, 2008
Does God Guide or Do We Decide?
(by Kevin Brennfleck and Kay Marie Brennfleck)
Bored with his desk job, Glen was thinking seriously about becoming a fire fighter. His wife was deeply concerned about his proposed career change. He took a walk one winter morning, and found a child’s toy in the snow. He picked it up, and was astonished to see that it was a fireman action figure. Although he didn’t usually think thoughts like this, he wondered if God was trying to tell him to go ahead with his plans in spite of his wife’s reservations.
The Dilemma of Decision Making
When we are faced with making a decision about which direction to go with our lives, many Christians aren’t sure how to choose a path to pursue. People may become hyper-sensitive to circumstances as they seek to perceive divine guidance. Or, they may hope others can tell them what they should do.
In our career counseling and coaching practice, we have found that people often resist taking responsibility to make big decisions. Why? Because decision-making can be difficult. There is often a lot at stake. Our decisions have the power to change our lives for the better—or for the worse. Making a decision inescapably means taking a risk. We may fear not succeeding, experiencing disapproval from family or friends, or being ultimately disappointed by our choice.
Also, many people have never been taught specifically how to make decisions, especially decisions about their vocational calling. When we are unsure what criteria to use in choosing a career, for example, we may look primarily at objective factors like salary and benefits, or ultimately make decisions based on our intuition or feelings about the options. We may know that there are other things we should consider, but not be sure what they are.
To further complicate the situation, we want to do what God wants us to do with our lives. So how do we take His will into account when contemplating a career choice or change? Is it up to God to guide or up to us to decide? The key to resolving this dilemma is realizing that it is both: God promises to guide and you are called to decide.
Called to be a Decision-Maker
God certainly can indicate supernaturally which job or career path you should pursue. At times, He may choose to do so. More typically, however, He calls us to take responsibility for making good decisions about how to use our gifts in the world. In the absence of direct supernatural guidance, we need to assume that God wants us to prayerfully and thoughtfully decide which work or ministry/service option is the best choice. “It is possible to pray, read God's Word, seek counsel, and still not feel led by God,” says Dr. Bruce Waltke. “That's the time to rely on sound judgment. God gave each of us a brain, and He expects us to put it to good use.”
Scripture illustrates that even biblical “superstars” like the Apostle Paul saw making decisions to be a natural, normal and necessary part of life. While Paul did receive divine guidance (see Acts 16:7 and 20:22), he and others also made decisions (Acts 19:21, 20:16, and Titus 3:12). Developing the ability to make wise decisions is a critical skill for Christian life and ministry. A track record of making good, biblically-grounded decisions is evidence of spiritual growth and maturity.
Guidance for Your Career Decisions
How can the Bible be helpful to you in making career decisions and other life calling choices today? After all, you won’t find a Bible verse that tells you specifically which college major to choose, whether you should change jobs in mid-life, or which career option will be best for you. In addition, the world of work in biblical times was very different from our own.
In Jesus’ time, for example, most men went into the family business whether it was becoming a merchant, rabbi, carpenter or shepherd. Most women married early, had children and took care of their home and family. “What should I do with my life?” was not a burning question of the time. The biblical world was very different than our own, yet the principles revealed in Scripture for making career and life decisions are still relevant for our contemporary lives.
The Bible plays a critical role in our decision-making by showing us what is important to God. For example, the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) clearly illustrates that God calls us to proactive stewardship of our gifts. To apply this biblical principle to making decisions about work and ministry/service activities abilities, we need to ask ourselves a question such as: At this time in my life, how can I best use my gifts, abilities and other resources to further God’s purposes in this world? God gave you your gifts to do His work on earth, not for your own career success and advancement.
God uses His Word to enlarge the frame in which we see our work and our lives, transforming our perspective from the temporal to the eternal. The Holy Spirit within makes it possible for us to understand God’s revealed will and apply it to the specific circumstances of our lives. God can also guide us through the wise counsel of others who help us put biblical principles into practice within the decisions we face.
We partner with God in discerning our calling when we work through a reasoned process of evaluating options in light of Scripture and our design. With each step, we seek God’s guidance in His Word and through prayer. We remain receptive to the Lord’s instruction should He choose at any point to indicate specifically what He wants us to do. When we are willing to be obedient, regardless of what God calls us to do, we become people He can guide and use to fulfill His purposes here on earth.
Bored with his desk job, Glen was thinking seriously about becoming a fire fighter. His wife was deeply concerned about his proposed career change. He took a walk one winter morning, and found a child’s toy in the snow. He picked it up, and was astonished to see that it was a fireman action figure. Although he didn’t usually think thoughts like this, he wondered if God was trying to tell him to go ahead with his plans in spite of his wife’s reservations.
The Dilemma of Decision Making
When we are faced with making a decision about which direction to go with our lives, many Christians aren’t sure how to choose a path to pursue. People may become hyper-sensitive to circumstances as they seek to perceive divine guidance. Or, they may hope others can tell them what they should do.
In our career counseling and coaching practice, we have found that people often resist taking responsibility to make big decisions. Why? Because decision-making can be difficult. There is often a lot at stake. Our decisions have the power to change our lives for the better—or for the worse. Making a decision inescapably means taking a risk. We may fear not succeeding, experiencing disapproval from family or friends, or being ultimately disappointed by our choice.
Also, many people have never been taught specifically how to make decisions, especially decisions about their vocational calling. When we are unsure what criteria to use in choosing a career, for example, we may look primarily at objective factors like salary and benefits, or ultimately make decisions based on our intuition or feelings about the options. We may know that there are other things we should consider, but not be sure what they are.
To further complicate the situation, we want to do what God wants us to do with our lives. So how do we take His will into account when contemplating a career choice or change? Is it up to God to guide or up to us to decide? The key to resolving this dilemma is realizing that it is both: God promises to guide and you are called to decide.
Called to be a Decision-Maker
God certainly can indicate supernaturally which job or career path you should pursue. At times, He may choose to do so. More typically, however, He calls us to take responsibility for making good decisions about how to use our gifts in the world. In the absence of direct supernatural guidance, we need to assume that God wants us to prayerfully and thoughtfully decide which work or ministry/service option is the best choice. “It is possible to pray, read God's Word, seek counsel, and still not feel led by God,” says Dr. Bruce Waltke. “That's the time to rely on sound judgment. God gave each of us a brain, and He expects us to put it to good use.”
Scripture illustrates that even biblical “superstars” like the Apostle Paul saw making decisions to be a natural, normal and necessary part of life. While Paul did receive divine guidance (see Acts 16:7 and 20:22), he and others also made decisions (Acts 19:21, 20:16, and Titus 3:12). Developing the ability to make wise decisions is a critical skill for Christian life and ministry. A track record of making good, biblically-grounded decisions is evidence of spiritual growth and maturity.
Guidance for Your Career Decisions
How can the Bible be helpful to you in making career decisions and other life calling choices today? After all, you won’t find a Bible verse that tells you specifically which college major to choose, whether you should change jobs in mid-life, or which career option will be best for you. In addition, the world of work in biblical times was very different from our own.
In Jesus’ time, for example, most men went into the family business whether it was becoming a merchant, rabbi, carpenter or shepherd. Most women married early, had children and took care of their home and family. “What should I do with my life?” was not a burning question of the time. The biblical world was very different than our own, yet the principles revealed in Scripture for making career and life decisions are still relevant for our contemporary lives.
The Bible plays a critical role in our decision-making by showing us what is important to God. For example, the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) clearly illustrates that God calls us to proactive stewardship of our gifts. To apply this biblical principle to making decisions about work and ministry/service activities abilities, we need to ask ourselves a question such as: At this time in my life, how can I best use my gifts, abilities and other resources to further God’s purposes in this world? God gave you your gifts to do His work on earth, not for your own career success and advancement.
God uses His Word to enlarge the frame in which we see our work and our lives, transforming our perspective from the temporal to the eternal. The Holy Spirit within makes it possible for us to understand God’s revealed will and apply it to the specific circumstances of our lives. God can also guide us through the wise counsel of others who help us put biblical principles into practice within the decisions we face.
We partner with God in discerning our calling when we work through a reasoned process of evaluating options in light of Scripture and our design. With each step, we seek God’s guidance in His Word and through prayer. We remain receptive to the Lord’s instruction should He choose at any point to indicate specifically what He wants us to do. When we are willing to be obedient, regardless of what God calls us to do, we become people He can guide and use to fulfill His purposes here on earth.
If Money Were No Object...
(by Dan Miller)
Does this reader question/comment ring any bells with you?
“I have never understood the question (or variations on it) of 'What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?' as advice for finding one’s calling. I guess it’s because I would stay in bed, eat junk food, and watch TV. I’ve never seen any job that had any real purpose either, so who I would want to trade places with is meaningless as well. Can’t really say I’ve ever felt alive.”
Here’s why the question makes sense. In as much as you may think you really would lie around the house, eat Twinkies and watch Seinfeld reruns – my observation is that no one enjoys doing that for more than a couple of weeks. I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of people over the years for whom making money was no longer an issue. But that really brings to the forefront the question: “ What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?” Those people don’t have the easy out that, “I only work because I have to.”
See it’s actually a whole lot easier to just barely squeak by week after week – having no extra time and certainly no extra money. In that situation no one expects you to deal with the important questions of life – you’re just doing what you have to do, right? But when confronted with having more time and money than ever needed, a person has to really decide, “How am I going to invest my time – and money?” "How can I make the world a better place?" “How am I going to make my life matter?” Yes, you really can have only so many cars, cruises, houses, and pieces of art. And my observation is that those people are immediately attracted to ideas that serve others. I don’t see many who want to plan to spend it all selfishly and just die on the same day the last dollar is spent. Rather, they, like some of you are already doing, look for ways to:
Share your time and money with those who have not had your same advantages
Bring hope and encouragement to others
Volunteer in a worthy church or community program
Start a social entrepreneurship venture
Sponsor a children’s sports program
Revitalize the downtown area of your town
Give money strategically – not just 10% dropped into the collection plate
Teach life skills to those with self-defeating patterns
’Feeling Alive’ is one of those interesting by-products. It’s not something we can approach directly – it flows out of a meaningful life. You may think you are eagerly awaiting ‘retirement.’ But time invested in meaningful activities makes ‘retirement’ diminish in its attraction.
So go ahead: spend three days staying in bed, eating Moon Pies, and watching the political drivel the news teams conjure up. See how quickly you feel worthless in body, mind and spirit.
But here’s the deal. You don’t have to wait until retirement or until you win the lottery to decide what you would do if money were no longer the issue. You really can just make those decisions now – live as if you have an abundance of time and money. Start one of the above activities today. And you might be surprised at what happens to your actual bank account when you realize what you already have to give and share.
And if you want to see what can happen to someone who just wants to eat, drink and be merry, check this out: Eat, Drink and Be Merry (Luke 12: 18)
Does this reader question/comment ring any bells with you?
“I have never understood the question (or variations on it) of 'What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?' as advice for finding one’s calling. I guess it’s because I would stay in bed, eat junk food, and watch TV. I’ve never seen any job that had any real purpose either, so who I would want to trade places with is meaningless as well. Can’t really say I’ve ever felt alive.”
Here’s why the question makes sense. In as much as you may think you really would lie around the house, eat Twinkies and watch Seinfeld reruns – my observation is that no one enjoys doing that for more than a couple of weeks. I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of people over the years for whom making money was no longer an issue. But that really brings to the forefront the question: “ What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?” Those people don’t have the easy out that, “I only work because I have to.”
See it’s actually a whole lot easier to just barely squeak by week after week – having no extra time and certainly no extra money. In that situation no one expects you to deal with the important questions of life – you’re just doing what you have to do, right? But when confronted with having more time and money than ever needed, a person has to really decide, “How am I going to invest my time – and money?” "How can I make the world a better place?" “How am I going to make my life matter?” Yes, you really can have only so many cars, cruises, houses, and pieces of art. And my observation is that those people are immediately attracted to ideas that serve others. I don’t see many who want to plan to spend it all selfishly and just die on the same day the last dollar is spent. Rather, they, like some of you are already doing, look for ways to:
Share your time and money with those who have not had your same advantages
Bring hope and encouragement to others
Volunteer in a worthy church or community program
Start a social entrepreneurship venture
Sponsor a children’s sports program
Revitalize the downtown area of your town
Give money strategically – not just 10% dropped into the collection plate
Teach life skills to those with self-defeating patterns
’Feeling Alive’ is one of those interesting by-products. It’s not something we can approach directly – it flows out of a meaningful life. You may think you are eagerly awaiting ‘retirement.’ But time invested in meaningful activities makes ‘retirement’ diminish in its attraction.
So go ahead: spend three days staying in bed, eating Moon Pies, and watching the political drivel the news teams conjure up. See how quickly you feel worthless in body, mind and spirit.
But here’s the deal. You don’t have to wait until retirement or until you win the lottery to decide what you would do if money were no longer the issue. You really can just make those decisions now – live as if you have an abundance of time and money. Start one of the above activities today. And you might be surprised at what happens to your actual bank account when you realize what you already have to give and share.
And if you want to see what can happen to someone who just wants to eat, drink and be merry, check this out: Eat, Drink and Be Merry (Luke 12: 18)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Realizing Your Dreams
(by Cliff Young)
I love the Walt Disney Park’s mystique and theme, “Where dreams come true.” My belief in dreams and miracles (prior to my relationship with Jesus) was instilled early in my childhood through trips to Disneyland. Even though I have learned several of the Disney secrets, have been frustrated professionally, and have experienced disappointment in my personal life, I am not deterred from believing that my dreams can come true.
My desire of being a husband and a father is one dream that has taken a beating over the years. In the early ‘90s, I spent five years working with a church youth group mentoring a group of young men. Along with challenging these men spiritually, we also spent a great deal of time talking about girls, dating and relationships. Fast forward fifteen years and all of these guys are married with children, while their “mentor” is writing articles for singles. Did I miss something along the way? Did I not follow some aspect of my own advice?
There are many who wonder if life has passed them by, if their best years are behind them, or if they have been robbed of their dreams. (Did I just hear an “Amen”?) However, if we spend our time lamenting over the past and what might have been instead of what actually is, we will be blind and deaf to what God has for us today.
Every new day begins with possibilities. It’s up to us to fill it with things that move us towards progress and peace. Ronald Reagan
Life can be hard and broken dreams can beat down the strongest of faiths. I see my younger friends living out their dreams and wonder about my own, but through God’s Word I find encouragement on how to maintain and progress towards my own dreams in the midst of my friends experiencing theirs.
Do Not Covet
Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife…or anything else your neighbor owns (Exodus 20:17).
Covet simply means to desire inordinately (exceeding reasonable limits).
Coveting may be the most common unspoken sin in society. It is often difficult to go through a day without, or wanting, what another has—be it large or small. However, when the desire becomes all consuming, it becomes sinful.
I watch couples enjoy an intimate dinner. I stand up for others as they exchange their wedding vows. I drive by ball fields and see parents cheer for their child. How can I maintain my desire for the same without it becoming an obsession?
My comfort comes from knowing that the God of the Universe knew and understood from the beginning the very things I would struggle with. He specifically says do not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or anything else your neighbor owns. That’s pretty self-explanatory. It is a command for us to stop (excessively) wanting what others have, that includes relationships, and all that comes with it.
(He) has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3).
I find it easy to fall into desiring what I don’t have or wanting what others have, yet Jesus has blessed me with every spiritual blessing I need in order to serve Him, bring honor to Him and live a fruitful life. My focus needs to be on utilizing those blessings for His Glory, not my own. I am here to serve, not to be served.
Be Happy (or at Least Joyful) for Others
Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18).
How can I honestly be happy for those who are experiencing the things that I desire? How do I genuinely be joyful about what others have that I long for?
My inability to be happy for others could lie deeper within my being. I may not accept myself for who I am, for whom God created me to be, or for the place I am currently at. I am not happy for others because I don’t like myself. I do not love my neighbor because I do not love myself. I am not experiencing true joy in my life because I have not put my entire faith and trust in my relationship with Jesus.
There is no easy formula for being happy while others seem to be happier. There is no easy way to accept the struggles that we face while others seem to live unscathed. However, there is one illustration that comes to mind.
If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine (Matthew 26:39).
Jesus struggled with taking the mantle of mankind on His shoulders. His willingness to follow through was based upon the love He had for His Father and what His Father desired. Many of us don’t understand God’s plan for us, we are perplexed with His timeframe, we don’t realize how God has protected us, and we have difficulty seeing how He is utilizing us.
I am guilty of thinking I know what is best for me and direct my steps accordingly. Oftentimes, I am wrong in my thinking and in my steps.
Jesus tells us if we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer. Then we will begin to hear His voice and to recognize what He has planned for us. As a result we can accept ourselves for how and for what purpose God created us. If we truly believe we are complete in the Lord, we won’t worry about what we don’t have, but more importantly, we will have genuine joy in our heart toward others.
Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Have Faith. Do Not Be Discouraged. God Will Give More Than We Can Imagine.
When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. … .And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred … (Romans 4:18, 19).
Most singles have the dream to be married along with raising children. When our dream is not realized within the parameters and timeframe we (or society) have set for us, disappointment may set in, our hope may weaken and our faith in God doubted.
However, if we put our hope and faith in the Lord (and His timeframe), rather than ourselves (and our timeframe), we can find solace in Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
A 44-year old female friend of mine never had a serious relationship. She invested her time in her work, church, family and friends. On a blind date, she was introduced to a 46-year old man, who also never had a serious relationship. Within three months they were engaged. Seven months after being married, they adopted two little girls.
Did either of them specifically plan for this? Within a year and a half a woman and a man, no different than many of us, became a wife and a husband, a mother and a father.
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desire (Psalm 37:4).
Don’t give up on yourself or on your dreams—God has not forgotten you. His plans for you are bigger and better than anything you can dream of.
Don’t take your disappointment out on others by not being happy for them. Love God, love yourself, and love others as God commands.
A friend is always loyal (Proverbs 17:17).
I love the Walt Disney Park’s mystique and theme, “Where dreams come true.” My belief in dreams and miracles (prior to my relationship with Jesus) was instilled early in my childhood through trips to Disneyland. Even though I have learned several of the Disney secrets, have been frustrated professionally, and have experienced disappointment in my personal life, I am not deterred from believing that my dreams can come true.
My desire of being a husband and a father is one dream that has taken a beating over the years. In the early ‘90s, I spent five years working with a church youth group mentoring a group of young men. Along with challenging these men spiritually, we also spent a great deal of time talking about girls, dating and relationships. Fast forward fifteen years and all of these guys are married with children, while their “mentor” is writing articles for singles. Did I miss something along the way? Did I not follow some aspect of my own advice?
There are many who wonder if life has passed them by, if their best years are behind them, or if they have been robbed of their dreams. (Did I just hear an “Amen”?) However, if we spend our time lamenting over the past and what might have been instead of what actually is, we will be blind and deaf to what God has for us today.
Every new day begins with possibilities. It’s up to us to fill it with things that move us towards progress and peace. Ronald Reagan
Life can be hard and broken dreams can beat down the strongest of faiths. I see my younger friends living out their dreams and wonder about my own, but through God’s Word I find encouragement on how to maintain and progress towards my own dreams in the midst of my friends experiencing theirs.
Do Not Covet
Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife…or anything else your neighbor owns (Exodus 20:17).
Covet simply means to desire inordinately (exceeding reasonable limits).
Coveting may be the most common unspoken sin in society. It is often difficult to go through a day without, or wanting, what another has—be it large or small. However, when the desire becomes all consuming, it becomes sinful.
I watch couples enjoy an intimate dinner. I stand up for others as they exchange their wedding vows. I drive by ball fields and see parents cheer for their child. How can I maintain my desire for the same without it becoming an obsession?
My comfort comes from knowing that the God of the Universe knew and understood from the beginning the very things I would struggle with. He specifically says do not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or anything else your neighbor owns. That’s pretty self-explanatory. It is a command for us to stop (excessively) wanting what others have, that includes relationships, and all that comes with it.
(He) has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3).
I find it easy to fall into desiring what I don’t have or wanting what others have, yet Jesus has blessed me with every spiritual blessing I need in order to serve Him, bring honor to Him and live a fruitful life. My focus needs to be on utilizing those blessings for His Glory, not my own. I am here to serve, not to be served.
Be Happy (or at Least Joyful) for Others
Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18).
How can I honestly be happy for those who are experiencing the things that I desire? How do I genuinely be joyful about what others have that I long for?
My inability to be happy for others could lie deeper within my being. I may not accept myself for who I am, for whom God created me to be, or for the place I am currently at. I am not happy for others because I don’t like myself. I do not love my neighbor because I do not love myself. I am not experiencing true joy in my life because I have not put my entire faith and trust in my relationship with Jesus.
There is no easy formula for being happy while others seem to be happier. There is no easy way to accept the struggles that we face while others seem to live unscathed. However, there is one illustration that comes to mind.
If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine (Matthew 26:39).
Jesus struggled with taking the mantle of mankind on His shoulders. His willingness to follow through was based upon the love He had for His Father and what His Father desired. Many of us don’t understand God’s plan for us, we are perplexed with His timeframe, we don’t realize how God has protected us, and we have difficulty seeing how He is utilizing us.
I am guilty of thinking I know what is best for me and direct my steps accordingly. Oftentimes, I am wrong in my thinking and in my steps.
Jesus tells us if we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer. Then we will begin to hear His voice and to recognize what He has planned for us. As a result we can accept ourselves for how and for what purpose God created us. If we truly believe we are complete in the Lord, we won’t worry about what we don’t have, but more importantly, we will have genuine joy in our heart toward others.
Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Have Faith. Do Not Be Discouraged. God Will Give More Than We Can Imagine.
When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. … .And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred … (Romans 4:18, 19).
Most singles have the dream to be married along with raising children. When our dream is not realized within the parameters and timeframe we (or society) have set for us, disappointment may set in, our hope may weaken and our faith in God doubted.
However, if we put our hope and faith in the Lord (and His timeframe), rather than ourselves (and our timeframe), we can find solace in Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
A 44-year old female friend of mine never had a serious relationship. She invested her time in her work, church, family and friends. On a blind date, she was introduced to a 46-year old man, who also never had a serious relationship. Within three months they were engaged. Seven months after being married, they adopted two little girls.
Did either of them specifically plan for this? Within a year and a half a woman and a man, no different than many of us, became a wife and a husband, a mother and a father.
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desire (Psalm 37:4).
Don’t give up on yourself or on your dreams—God has not forgotten you. His plans for you are bigger and better than anything you can dream of.
Don’t take your disappointment out on others by not being happy for them. Love God, love yourself, and love others as God commands.
A friend is always loyal (Proverbs 17:17).
Teaching a Horse to Fly
(by Dan Miller)
The sultan of Persia had sentenced two men to death. One of them, knowing how much the sultan loved his stallion, offered to teach the horse to fly within a year in return for his life. The sultan, fancying himself as the rider of the only flying horse in the world, agreed.
The other prisoner looked at his friend in disbelief. "You know horses don't fly. What made you come up with a crazy idea like that? You're only postponing the inevitable." "Not so," said the first prisoner. "I have actually given myself four chances for freedom. First, the sultan might die during the year. Second, I might die. Third, the horse might die. And fourth -- I might teach the horse to fly."
Wow - I like this guy's thinking. Rather than giving in to victim mentality, with one creative suggestion, he creates four possible outcomes other than just being put to death.
Now – what “impossible” situation are you faced with today? Just lost your job? Just found out your bank is foreclosing on your house? Just shut the doors on the business you always dreamed of having? What are four new possibilities you could see – instead of just assuming crushing loss?
If you lost your job, you could:
Realize you’ve been “underemployed” and “undercompensated” -- do a great job search and begin a much better position.
Use your severance package to take your family on that much deserved vacation that’s been put off for too many years.
Go back to school to finish that long-awaited degree.
Finally have the opportunity to start your own business.
The sultan of Persia had sentenced two men to death. One of them, knowing how much the sultan loved his stallion, offered to teach the horse to fly within a year in return for his life. The sultan, fancying himself as the rider of the only flying horse in the world, agreed.
The other prisoner looked at his friend in disbelief. "You know horses don't fly. What made you come up with a crazy idea like that? You're only postponing the inevitable." "Not so," said the first prisoner. "I have actually given myself four chances for freedom. First, the sultan might die during the year. Second, I might die. Third, the horse might die. And fourth -- I might teach the horse to fly."
Wow - I like this guy's thinking. Rather than giving in to victim mentality, with one creative suggestion, he creates four possible outcomes other than just being put to death.
Now – what “impossible” situation are you faced with today? Just lost your job? Just found out your bank is foreclosing on your house? Just shut the doors on the business you always dreamed of having? What are four new possibilities you could see – instead of just assuming crushing loss?
If you lost your job, you could:
Realize you’ve been “underemployed” and “undercompensated” -- do a great job search and begin a much better position.
Use your severance package to take your family on that much deserved vacation that’s been put off for too many years.
Go back to school to finish that long-awaited degree.
Finally have the opportunity to start your own business.
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