We are at a turning point. The distress of the moment will pass, eventually. The uncertainty of today will give way to yet another way to worry about tomorrow. Even the loss that we morn, financial, emotional, or physical, will morph into something else. The question lingering with you and me is simply, what is next?
Years ago I arrived on the scene of a new job. We knew that change was required, but the details were yet to unfold! There were far too many people employed for things to be sustainable. Whatever tomorrow would be, I was certain that it was going to be different than the present. In an early conversation with my boss, she identified two people I needed to “fire”. She presented her perceptions and left it to me to investigate and take the appropriate decision. She was certain of the outcome, so I was left to take “the” action.
I am not the first person to go on a mission with a forgone conclusion. In many ways, I walked a familiar path. In an old story, when Barnabas went on a mission to prove the errors of someone’s ways, “as soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives.” (Acts 11.23) In my case, the “truth” of the matter did not rest in getting rid of the two individuals but in adopting them into a new structure and purpose.
The turning point for me in my conversations with these two was the knowledge of their value and role. I could see what my boss and even the two individuals could not. With new roles, empowerment, and a sense of being part of something bigger, the individuals involved grew into strong contributors.
God knows we can be much more than we are. God offers us the opportunity of new roles, empowerment, and a chance to be part of something much bigger than we have experienced so far.
