day 527: Knowing The Wind

Work consultants use wind analogies a lot. They talk about having "wind at your back", being able to "tack with the changes of the wind", how to battle "headwinds', understanding "turbulence", etc. The wind is a good metaphor for lots of things that are in our work lives because it is invisible but very forceful and it can either be a huge help or a real hindrance and the fact that the wind changes so often and unpredictably, it becomes even that much more relevant with the way our work and jobs can seem. Within our jobs there are many unseen factors that affect how we work and how we feel about our work. It's like when we walk into a meeting room and there is a chill in the air or a heaviness in the air that we know, without anyone saying anything, that this is going to be a tough meeting or we are getting ready to deal with a subject that no one really wants to talk about. And the opposite can happen when the boss comes bouncing down the hall, in a good mood and just wants to drop in and "catch up". Whatever it is, it's like the air and the wind and it shifts, swirls, and moves like its' own force throughout work. Knowing the wind is a smart thing but even smarter is knowing where and how we stand within the changing winds. What we want to make sure we are not doing is spending our precious time trying to figure out always where the wind is going, but instead, know where we are going and how we are getting there, regardless of the where the wind is blowing. Those who only follow the wind will be known as being political or indecisive. But, those who know who they are and where they are going and then manage the wind will be known differently, in a very positive way. This starts with knowing what is important for us to be doing and sticking with it. Solomon talks about his own work when he was "lost" and was not focusing on what he knew to be important; "But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere." No, we are not to "chase the wind". We are to be strong, firm and able to withstand whatever the wind may bring. Today, let's take a look at what we are doing and making important in our work lives and be sure that we are focused on the right things and like the wheat and chaff that separates with the wind, we are staying focused on the things that the wind can't carry away.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 2:11 (New Living Testament)