Category: You & God

#35 Are You Afraid to Ask for Help?

April 16, 2017

Unsplash Doorman boris-stefanik-119211“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7

We all have those aha moments when it comes to God.

Moments when we are blessed with clarity. We see glimpses of how God is truly behind everything, sometimes guiding us through situations, sometimes repairing what’s been damaged, but always present.
Those occasions remind us how important we are to Him, how close He stays to us, how He’s not just everywhere, but He’s been everywhere we’ve been. He knows everything. He sees everything.

Now, how often do we leave those aha moments behind and go right back to trying to do everything on our own?

When I was younger, and trying to prove I could make it as a sales person, I used to waste time over-preparing for difficult meetings (i.e. sales calls and presentations). I would try to anticipate and practice my responses to any potential hard questions and objections. I fancied myself clever for thinking ahead, like in chess.

Did it ever help?

No. In hindsight, I was too focused on the differences between my “opponents” and myself.
I stopped wasting my time and energy when, one day, I had an aha moment and realized I was not attending those meetings by myself. If God was everywhere and knew all things, then He could join me in my appointments and on all my sales calls. I just had to remember Him. I had to eat a little humble pie and admit I wasn’t nearly as clever as I acted. I had to start asking for His help all the time, not just in moments of crisis.

These days, most meetings are easy and sales calls are nothing but fun, even when I don’t make the sale. I spend my time looking for “connections” and let God handle the difficulties. Instead of opponents, I now search for friends.

In my mind, I like to create simplistic visuals to help me understand complex things. I started imagining God as a doorman, always ready with a smile to open the right door for me on cue. I know this image runs the risk of trivializing God, making Him out to be less than He is, but very often it’s worked for me.
Over time this improved approach to the work day has paid huge dividends, reduced stress and opened my eyes further to the wonders of God’s ways. I do my part and God does His.

I recommend praying today with expectation in God’s partnership and providence. In return, He will do for you what He’s done for me many times: open new doors and show you just what you are looking for.

 

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#23 Look For The Writing On The Wall

November 9, 2015

 

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not your woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

The first time I read this verse I was several hours into a job interview that would change my life. I flew from Ohio to Texas to meet with a group of gentlemen from a large company. The “interview” took all day and moved me in and out of several different offices and even through a couple of restaurants.

At one point, I sat across from the manager who wanted to hire me. He was telling me what a nice addition to his team I would make. Something caught my eye, I looked over and saw the quote hanging on a cubicle wall. I chose to take it as a sign – a confirmation – and said yes to his offer. Saying yes, however, meant packing up my family and moving across country, away from the only comfort zone I ever knew.

And you know what? Every detail of the relocation fell right into place. Our tiny “starter” home sold in just two weeks, in the middle of winter! The transplant of our lives was not without challenge, but in hindsight, flowed with God’s choreography.

We all have our own plans. Business plans, wedding plans, vacation plans, five year plans, ten year plans, retirement plans, etc. However, none of those plans will ever be as “meaningful” as God’s plans are for us. We are made on purpose – our place in time is no accident.

I opened my Catholics Mean Business book with this story back in 2009. I have often been reminded that believing in this scripture verse was not just sound business advice, but a huge blessing to me and my family. The blessing was not just the career move, but the relocation as well. And the man who hired me became a great mentor of mine and a true friend.

So how do we know what the plan is for us? How do we figure out if any of our plans are THE plans? That is our common challenge. That is where our common faith comes in.

In my life and career, the only tool I found to decode the mystery is prayer. ASK Him. God will let us know the answers in His time. And yes, unfortunately I am admitting and advocating the requirement and practice of patience, along with our prayers. Waiting on answers to prayer can be maddening, especially to those of us that live in a hectic, drive-thru culture. We value speed. We demand Instant gratification (is there any other kind?). We forget that, even though Jesus taught that if we ask we will receive, he never said we would receive right away.

And yet, there isn’t a single one of us that could not benefit from more prayer. From Pope Francis all the way down to me. Prayer is the glue that holds our first and most primary relationship together. So if we remain patient and open-minded, He will alert us when the time comes.

Who knows, He may even post a sign on the wall.

 

 

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#17 Seven Connections Between Your Career and the Cross!

April 1, 2015

It’s Holy Week. We commemorate civilization being forever changed. Once upon a time, a cross was a medieval weapon of torture, humiliation and oppression. Today it stands tall for freedom, peace, human dignity and everlasting life.

The world’s reconciliation with its Creator wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. As Christ himself showed us, our faith will get us to Heaven, but it won’t earn us a trouble-free life. Not every day can be a good day, and that’s actually part of the plan. Looking at those bad days through the prism of the Cross is the key to meaning and purpose. Here are seven universal takeaways:

You will be falsely accused. There aren’t many things that hurt more than our reputations being tainted by a lie. Satan himself is called “the accuser”.

So how did Jesus just stand there and allow himself to be verbally abused in that sham of a trial? I think since he knew all things, he understood how important the mission was. We don’t have God’s foresight, but we have his word, his promises. Trusting that God is always with us gives us confidence that the truth will be revealed, and we will be vindicated. We just need patience and courage. The feeling of vindication will always last longer than the temporary hurt of a false accusation, sort of like when the Lord stepped out of the tomb on Sunday morning.

You will have to answer to opposition. The time will come when you will report to those who oppose you, who don’t understand you and may not even view the world like you. Jesus spent his time on earth answering to those who didn’t have his wisdom and vision, yet he humbled himself and allowed them to have authority over him.

There is a saying that people don’t quit their job, they quit their boss. Unless you are just starting out, you’ve had at least one bad boss. If you can’t outlast that unfortunate situation, tune up the resume and ask God to open the right door. Remember when life gets tough, our faith can pay dividends.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.

You will be treated harshly. Since this is unavoidable, here’s your crash course on redemptive suffering. The world proclaims that “suffering” is a fate worse than death. Listen to those who argue in favor of abortion and euthanasia and you will hear a litany of excuses as to why death is made to look like a simple and compassionate solution to a complex problem. Meanwhile, God chose to save the world through suffering, his own! Today the Church is the body of Christ; we are his hands and feet, his eyes and mouth. Our suffering, when offered up to God for specific redemptive intentions, are united with Christ’s on the cross. That is, our sufferings are seen by God as Christ’s.

When we’re treated harshly we are given a gift to offer it up for our sins, our family’s sins, the sins of our country, the entire Church or even the world, including the most unrepentant souls and those who persecute the Church.

You will fall, and you must get back up. Never quit. The Lord fell while lugging that cross down the road. He kept his eyes on the prize. He needed to finish. For us the prize is Heaven, not a bonus or a better office. And when we fall, Heaven is worth getting back up for. Troubles at work may not seem to have eternal consequences, but how we handle them does! If you have a business or career failure, dust yourself off with dignity and begin again. If you fail personally (sin), confess it and begin again. You may want to give up and just be done – but then you’ll never finish. Being done is very different from finishing. Finishing is worth getting up. There is only forward! Never quit.

You will have the opportunity to help others. Due to the intense scourging, there was concern Jesus would die before reaching the top of Golgotha. The Centurions made Simon help Jesus carry the cross. I guarantee Simon had better things to do, in his mind. However God had ‘greater’ things planned for him. Each time the crucifixion story is retold, for two thousand years, we see Simon coming in from the fields and helping Christ. I’m sure he wasn’t happy about it, but he said yes, he helped and made history. Likewise, you never know when the phone will ring, or email will arrive, asking for your help when you have other plans. Be a helper and you may just have a lasting impact.

You will have the opportunity to show mercy. Here is the fastest and easiest way to stand out from the crowd! Selfishness is all too common. The world tells us to put people in their place, to criticize and finger point. But do we want to be like the world, or do we want to be like Christ? He didn’t come into the world to condemn it but to save it.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in mercy.” Psalm 103:8.

You will have the opportunity to give everything. Finally, here is how we become invaluable to those around us. The path to lasting success is in giving not receiving. Why? When our focus is receiving, we can easily justify manipulating circumstances to favor ourselves and taking from others. If we focus on giving, we step out of ourselves and teach, nurture, encourage, coach, advise, and in the process the fruits of our labor multiply, we grow, we endear, we influence, we appreciate!