BESIDE YOU

It’s amazing how much smaller even the biggest tasks become when you’ve got someone beside you to help. Too many times we tackle challenges alone and try to solve problems on our own —I’m the world’s worst — and ultimately we learn that working this way makes us stress out and become vulnerable to discouragement and defeat.

When you accepted God’s call and became a Christ-follower you took on an enormous job. The call to discipleship is to go deep in to the richness of Christ but sometimes it can seem as if you’re drowning in the vastness of all that lies before you. Here’s a tip! You can’t do it alone. It takes two, at least. You need someone to help you get the job done.

I challenge you to consider a couple of things. First, take a minute to identify your partners or mentors. In each project, think about their role and your role, how you complement one another, and how you can build on one another’s strengths. Make it a point this week to focus on what’s right in the relationship, not what’s wrong. Secondly, in the areas where you struggle — personal, spiritual, career, ministry — ask yourself, “Who can I bring in to help me make this better?” Whatever you're trying to accomplish, having a team member can get you there faster. 

Solomon talked about this idea in Ecclesiastes. He speaks to how futile it is to work alone. He reminds us, “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor.” (Ecclesiastes 3:9)  More importantly, Solomon reminds us that working with a team helps one bounce back more quickly from defeat.  “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10)  Solomon finishes this thought by saying, “Two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 3:12)
 
Do you want to put your life in overdrive? Bring on a partner, a mentor— two or three. See how much more quickly you move down the road of accomplishment.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given...
Read more

Control Yourself

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said: You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use. You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you. You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head. You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults. Why worry about things you cannot cont...
Read more

Bounce Back

As a 7th grader in junior high school, I was devastated when I was cut from the starting 8th grade football team and sent to the second team.   I felt disappointed, embarrassed and dejected.   Latter that week, I spoke with my grandfather who passed on these words of wisdom, “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce back that matters.”   I took those words to heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:11, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” I valued his wise words and committed to doing my best for this second string team, instead of pouting and complaining over my sense of failure. I committed to working hard, giving my all to bounce back. It served me well as I entered high school and played on two state championship teams. I learned that day that what happens to me in life doesn’t count as much as how I react to those things.   I had a choice the day I was cut from the team—I could wallow in misery and quit the team, or I ...
Read more