day 1111: The Power of One

"And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth."

Of course, on day 1111, how could I not write of the power of one?  I first encountered this phrase in the workplace in the early 1990's at PepsiCo, when the company was trying to drive cooperation and synergies across the diverse markets of snacks, beverages and fast food.  It became much more than a slogan as examples of cooperation and collaboration for when 1+1 would equal much more than 2, were not only recognized but also rewarded. It didn't take much or very long until we were all looking and experimenting with new growth ideas.  Where the power of one fell short though was getting us to cooperate across division and department lines to find efficiency for the reduction of cost.  What I learned here is that the power of one can be construed also as the power and the watching out for #1! And, not it a good way. In hindsight the slogan was good, the growth was evident, but the deep dive and heavy lifting to create sustainable and enduring human behavior change was the most important element and the one that was missed. Anything we try to do to improve our businesses must come with a human change plan that will stick.  Anything short of that comes and goes and misses the full potential.

We are so fortunate to not have to debate or question the enduring power of one as we know and believe in the One who has the power to save all of us and the world. Jesus was clear that He is the Way and He is the One! When we consider all the different ways that we act and go about our daily work, are we truly leaning and depending on the power of our One?  It is so easy forget throughout the day to put God's Word and teachings to work within our own work.  And when we forget or disregard the power that He wants us to have, then we are going into each day, each situation, each potential conflict or opportunity only humanly capable.  God wants us to have so much more.  He wants us to have His power.  He wants to flow the power of One through us to others. Today, can we accept that challenge and fulfill His desires for us?

Reference: John 17:3 (New Living Testament)