A Life Manual Moment From Jeremiah

In The Message, Eugene Peterson, provides us with a 'To Do" list from the Prophet Jeremiah ) "When life is heavy and hard to take,

Go off by yourself.

Enter the silence.

Bow in prayer.

Don't ask questions:

Wait for Hope to appear.

Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.

The "worst" is never the worst."

Lamentations 3:28-30 MSG Capitalization added.

Maybe life isn't heavy, just frustrating. Or maybe decisions have to be made. Maybe we're restless or facing new challenges or whole new seasons of life...this short checklist really packs some punch.

Joyce Meyer frequently reminds us, "Go to the Throne, not the phone..." and this surely gives us some "how to's" for actually going to the Throne. The admonition "Don't ask questions"is direct and what follows tells us what to do when we don't ask questions "Wait for Hope to appear."

As Leaders, many of us are list driven in our work, so why not develop some God lists? The when people ask if the Bible is really relevant to today's life, we can share our answers right out of God's Word on a 3x5 card or as a calendar note- enticing them to look deeper into God's Word : )

Leading By Example

Leaders lead. It's who we are more than what we do. When things are calm, we encourage and coach...when chaos ensues, we step into the foray and walk shoulder to shoulder with our teams. As the years unfold, we lead by helping others lead better and supporting them when they do not. As we walk through the various Leadership roles we have- whose we are can impact our day to day interactions more than we ever imagine. At 17, when I went to work at Disney- there were people and processes that shaped me "at work", yet there was a Friend who began to weave His Way into my work self. Jesus was saying "A new commandment I give...love one another" and Disney was showing me how to do it- Smile and "You're here to take care of our Guests".

Respect and honor- delivered in the workplace- is the Gospel- and it can be delivered without explanation or attribute. When we are pleasant, respectful, honor others, and do right things- it creates in our spaces some intrigue as to what makes us different and that opens doors to share why we're different.

Let's ask God to whisper into our lives the places where we need to let our examples speak louder than our words...

 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves... Romans 12:10

Between The Rock and Our Hard Places

It's a curious phrase: Between a rock and a hard place. Kind of implies a "no win" situation. If you think about the journeys that God led the Israelites on, there were many seemingly disastrous or impossible situations...and yet, God showed up miraculously over and over again. The very start of their Exodus from Egypt was full of miracle upon miracle upon miracle. Calling Moses through a burning bush, plague upon plague to get Pharaoh's attention (or were those for the Israelites?), the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea...and on and on- for forty years. Looking back in our own lives, what miracles transpired? Some small, some big; some surprises, some long prayed for. Some arriving as we were pressed between our Rock and a hard place- testing or stretching our faith. All offering to lead us to a new level in our walk with our God.

As Leaders, we often stand between the people we lead and their hard places. And, our mission is to hold out hope that the road ahead, while it may be long and winding- is to be walked through for where it leads and what it will show us. How much more certainty we have, knowing that our Rock is at work in every step.

Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. Psalm 77:19