It's Over

"If something cannot go on forever, it will stop." 

Economist Herbert Stein

This may seem like a fairly simple concept, but it leads to a number of questions:

• What does this mean for our concept of organizational leadership? 
• How does this affect the way we react to family stresses? 
• How does this help us cope with our seasons of life? 
• How do we prepare for the end of situations? 
• How do we react when circumstances are unbearable? 
• When do we determine that it's time to let go of something?

The truth is that nothing here on earth will last forever. We need to prepare accordingly and be wise enough to move through the different seasons with some grace and patience.

Prep Time

I wrote yesterday about how much I enjoy painting and the satisfaction that it brings me. The problem with painting (if you want to do it well) is that there has to be some preparation before you can begin. The tedious task of taping off door & window frames, baseboards, light switches, and outlets is not enjoyable. It seems to take much longer than you think it should, but it is necessary. Without doing the prep work you end up making a bigger mess of things. A lack of tape means that the paint will spill into unintended places and the final product will look sloppy.

What prep work should be done in other areas of our life before we jump into the main task? What do we normally do that would benefit from a little advance thinking? I believe we would be much more effective overall if we would consider what we're trying to accomplish and then work on some simple preparatory steps to make us more successful.

That will look different for each part of our life: marriage, parenting, financial endeavors, home projects, leading in industry, and our faith journey. There is one common theme that will be more beneficial than almost anything else we do however. As a Christ follower, I know that prayer should be a major focus of all that I do, but will admit that I sometimes fail to do this. This is the preparation that changes my focus from selfish ambition to Christ-fueled impact. It might seem tedious and unproductive at first, but it will make the end result more satisfying and complete when we commit to it.

Rapids Pace

I have fond memories of white water rafting trips with the youth from Florida. We would stop each summer after our summer conference trip and raft down a portion of the Ocoee River in Tennessee. I have some pretty great stories about swift rivers, teams coming together in trust (and sometimes survival), boats flipping over, and the beauty of nature around us.

The key to surviving the trip down and staying in your boat is to pay attention to what is ahead of you. If you can see the rocks and understand the flow of the river you can maintain your position. You end up working ahead of a particular rapid to ensure your safety instead of slamming into the rocks and then trying to adjust your position.

Sometimes in ministry I feel like I am slamming into the rocks and then trying to correct my raft--not always with great success. It can be jarring to your body (both physically & spiritually) when you are only reacting to what is happening to you instead of preparing for what you see ahead. I recognize that we don't always know what is coming, but we can prepare through diligent, focused prayer and intentional reading and application of God's Word. I felt that way this morning as I spent an hour refocusing my vision through these disciplines. The first part of this week was consumed by the river as it swept me along and battered me against the rocks. Because of my time with God this morning I feel confident in saying that the rest of this week won't bring the same tiring results, but will foster success as I navigate my way downriver with God's direction.