References Available upon Request
Recently, someone I know and greatly respect was selected to be ordained as a deacon at his church. If there was someone I could truly see deserving of such a position, it was Ron. There are many reasons I knew Ron was the man for the job, but if I had to base my case on one, it would have to be because he is a man of integrity.
As part of being considered a deacon candidate, Ron would have to endure a time of cross-questioning where he would be examined in order to make sure he was both ready and the right person. After this process, Ron shared that it was an intense time but that he answered from the heart and felt good about the outcome.
Although he didn’t get into the questions and answers, there was one question he did share that had impacted him, and really left me meditating…”Are you above reproach”?
You know…above reproach…Blameless, Guiltless, Faultless, Clean??
Boy, is this a hard question to answer honestly!
Which reminds me of a book I recently read titled, How to Influence People by John Maxwell. Although every chapter in this book is a winner, my favorite is: A Person of Influence has Integrity with People. It’s the word integrity that strikes a chord with me. Defined as:
the quality of being honest and having moral principles
having integrity is what would qualify us as being above reproach.
Although easy to define, it is harder to live.
You see, integrity is what happens when nobody is looking. It is being able to get away with something with no one ever finding out, yet choosing not to. It is committing to others and keeping our word. It is not compromising our belief system for the convenience of the moment. It is taking the longer route and not cutting any corners. It is choosing character over gains.
Integrity is having References Available upon Request.
Which brings me back to Ron. Just a short time after the above mentioned examination, Ron was officially ordained as a deacon. His solid character I’m sure was the determining factor in his promotion. Ron was indeed above reproach!
Not only would I vouch for Ron, but there are many other people I know would too. Because integrity builds trust and trust is the key to successful relationships.
How many references do you have on your list today?
How Thirsty are You?
Thirst can cause us to do some desperate things. There have been many a story of people stuck at sea that resort to drinking seawater due to being completely parched. Though the outcome for ingesting water with these levels of salt are not favorable, can we blame those in such desperate situations for opting to take their chances?
Thirst is a force to be reckoned with; desperate thirst at that. The kind that keeps us awake at night. Though I’m certainly including physical thirst, I’m more so referring to a deeper inbred thirst. The kind that causes us to try option after option, chance after chance, all in hopes of achieving a certain goal or outcome.
Perhaps you recognize this thirst by a different name; passion, purpose, or desire.
Whatever you may call it, if you’ve ever experienced this type of thirst I’m sure you would agree with me that at its core, it demands to be satisfied.
Now, thirst existed even in biblical times. During his time in Gerar, Isaac dug up several wells in order to satisfy the thirst. Though there was quarreling over the first two wells he dug, and Isaac had to give those up to locals who claimed it as their own, the third well resulted in a keeper for Isaac.
As you can imagine, digging involves lots of work. The ground may be hard and it is easy to lose focus of the water (our goals) and become consumed with the dirt in between. Yet, if Isaac would have stopped digging after the second well, he may not have ever found the one that was meant for him.
Which reminds me of a well I recently dug just this week.
When I began to consider the idea of digging, I was tempted to quit even before I began.
I mean G-d doesn’t need my help anyway, so why even bother?! If He wanted to give me a well then He could just do so without me lifting a finger… He doesn’t need me to do anything on my part, just sit back and wait on Him right??
That was the thought process leading me to reason my way out of the work ahead. That is until I remembered,
Faith without works is dead
You see, if the thirst is desperate enough, we are willing to dig as deep and as long as necessary. Though we wait on the Lord, it is an active wait where if one well doesn’t produce, we move on to the next one, not afraid of the effort it will take on our part and never wavering in our belief that it is only a matter of time before we reach the water.
I pray you are Actively Waiting on the Lord today. Keep Digging…!!!
Keep Swimming
The Price of Advice can be sky high especially if you’re dealing with a top notch consulting firm. High end consultants offer specialized knowledge, innovative ideas, and a fresh perspective to everyday situations that can sometimes leave us clueless about our next step.
This weekend I experienced one of those moments where not only was I clueless and didn’t know what to do next, but where I began to question even the path I’m on right now. Boy, could I have used one of those high end consultants then!
The room was filled with an energizing vibe. Expectation was in the air and I was excited to hear from the speaker for the evening. I was at an entrepreneurial publishing seminar that I hoped would provide me with direction in my venture to publish my book. The invitation to the seminar was extended to me a couple of weeks prior and I was thrilled to get the opportunity to connect with experts in the field and determine what the next best step for me was.
As expected, the event didn’t disappoint. The information was excellent and the publishing consultants were eager to offer help in any way they could.
So you may be wondering what the problem was right? Well, when it came time to discuss terms, I realized that the terms really weren’t going to work for me. I left that evening feeling doubtful and second guessing what my next move should be.
And that’s when I received the best advice a discouraged girl cold ever ask for…
Keep Swimming
Yeah, you’ve probably heard those wise words before. They come from Dory, the confused (or not so confused) blue fish in Nemo that encourages Marlin the clown fish to just keep swimming when life gets you down.
Now although these words were free -well, the cost of the movie ticket plus tax- their value was immeasurable!
The advice didn’t come from a fancy consulting firm nor was it phrased eloquently but it was enough to get me right back on the path I need to be.
Its funny how G-d will use anything in order to communicate with us; even a children’s movie.
Although, even as I write this blog I still don’t know how things will pan out, I am encouraged to know that my job is just to keep swimming and His to map out the path.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6