It happens………….
Have you ever felt like you’ve been ran over by a bus? Twice? Or have you ever felt like being thrown against a wall is a viable option? Well before you ready the catapult to launch yourself, or when that bus comes around again I want to encourage you.
I worked once in an organization where there motto was vulgar but true. I will change it for the secular-challenged folks, there motto was:
“It happens”
Sorry to say that it was not a septic cleaning company otherwise, it would have been advertising genius! That place taught me many lessons, two of which I will share in general here:
The first is the quality of your product is a direct reflection of the standards promoted and accepted (by the actions of the administrators, not the standards written on a wall).
The second… IT’S TRUE! “it” does indeed happen. Setbacks do occur regardless of resource, talent, skill, and preparation. Yet it’s how we overcome when it does happen that builds strength in a team or individual
So I would vigorously push my team and produce. I would coach them and help when necessary to ensure our product was up to the standards lined out in the manuals. But soon the high tempo remained constant. The demand was higher than we could supply, and there was no way to catch a break. Challenges were every where, and we were burning out fast.
It can happen whether in business or in ministry on the job or at home. Burnout does happen and will happen to you if you don’t continue to build up your core strengths.
Here’s what helped me,
1. I got to a stopping point, went to a place where I could be alone as I could be (on my job the bathroom stall was a good place) and I prayed. I prayed specifically for peace over myself and my team. I didn’t move from that state until I knew that I was calm. Then, I asked Jesus to help me figure out how to overcome being sick and tired.
2. I had realized that I lost my passion for the work I was doing. In the book of Revelation it records a letter written to a church stating they have everything except their love for God. They were intently focused on administration at the cost of ministry. They were so busy doing church that they forgot who church was for.
I tried to reinvent what I did personally to regain the joy I had once lost. I branched out from there and found other areas that needed attention.
Recognize that challenges do exist; if they did not there would be no depth in your skill or task. You would not develop a quality product with out it. Without the wind blowing, tree limbs would snap off the trunk due to no previous resistance. We would suffer greatly if we did not encounter struggles.
Challenges happen! I think how we meet these obstacles determine if we recover or restart.
Please do not become offended. My intent was not to offend but to illustrate from a personal perspective how we handle lifes moments . Remember, we are being observed…

“What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of
Job’s staying power,
and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because
God cares, cares right down to the last detail. ” James 5:11, (MSG) 

It’s January 2013.   The begining of many “firsts”……..

You know what I mean.  We plan our resolutions to improve ourselves or our outlook.  I will just speak for me right here;  I have started back up on my fitness regimen.  My work requires me to be within standards and now it is especially important because promotion boards are convening soon.  I don’t want to be behind on anything, so why not start a lifestyle change at the begining of the year?  Which brings me to my blog post.

I could have made this post earlier this month.  It would have been customary to push this out the first of the year.  I believe this is the time where many including myself can wane and drift off our original plan for this year.  This time is crucial after all (for me). It takes only thirty days to create a habit.  Did you know that in an aircraft if you are one degree off course in your flight plan you could be miles if not hundreds of miles from your original destination?

I don’t want that to happen to me or you either.  God has equipped us and gifted us with abilities that can be used greatly to cause a change in our environment!  He has CALLED us before the foundation of the world was created to have DOMINION over this planet and to become effective managers of the rescources  entrusted into our charge.  Don’t you believe for a nanosecond that God set you up to fail. GOD HAS SET YOU UP TO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It does however come with a price.  It includes our focus and total dependance on Jesus coupled with our obedience to him.  I have now been convinced more than ever that if I want to make an impact, I must be obedient to God.

This is staying power, the secret to staying the course on the treacherous road  I call life.  When I don’t allow Jesus to become the capstone or foundation for my plans, they will fail.  It may look successful, however only at the expense of  carnal mistakes- those moments when we act out of sorts.

In context, this passage was refering to looking at the prophets of old and add them to mentors in your life, learn from their example. Do you have someone to gauge your performance?  Perhaps you may have a mentor that may  encourage you or correct you?  In either case count it joy that you are now staying the course.  We are continuing the great journey like they did working through ridicule or slander without complaining and honoring God all the time.  I learned the hard way that  I must lean on God because I am not built like the world and cannot operate in its parameters. Would you agree? As I close this message I will get up and head to the gym before work, start eating smart and look to God to refuel me every step of the way. God cares even to the last detail.