day 1195: Availability, Part 2

"Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing." 

Earlier this week was the first time I had been in NYC since they added CitiBikes.  I must say, I was amazed by the number of riders I saw using the bikes. But, I was even more amazed by the people I saw riding them.  Men, women, older, younger, dressed for work, dressed for hanging out, dressed for going out at night, all kinds of people using the bikes for what they needed; to get from one place to another. Before CitiBikes, they would have been in a cab, on the subway, or walking.  But, with a little availability of another form or transportation where they didn't need to buy, maintain, store, lock, or worry about their own bike, they were using a bike to get around Manhattan.  And, they were paying for it.  What can we learn from this?  What I see is that availability of everyday products and services, that when made accessible, that we will pay for the temporary use and fulfill a need.  Provide a bike.  How simple and to think how long it took us to get here.

I come back to the fact that our availability for others is more valuable than we even imagine.  Yesterday, I took a phone call with someone who I didn't know at all, who wanted to request some information from my experience for a project he was getting off the ground.  In 30 minutes we covered a lot of ground.  At the end of the time, he told me that the number of people who he couldn't get to call him back or spend any time with him, were beyond counting.  His appreciation of our time was also beyond measurement.  In that conversation I got the chance to mention my church activities, this blog, and why I give of my time to talk to others; enough dots for him to connect that part of my expression of God's purpose for me, access and grace comes through my time allocations.  Being available to do God's work can mean doing it when we least expect it. Being always available and on call for God is what we must do.

Reference: Philippians 2:4 (New Living Translation)

day 565: On The Spot

I couldn't begin to tell you the number of times that I have seen people be given assignments for no other reason than they were in the right place at the right time, and really, they just happened to be "on the spot" at the moment the boss was looking for someone to pass the baton. In the days before technology, that meant being around the office and as one of my friends likes to say, "being present to win". Today, that same proximity comes from being available by phone, SMS or email. But, we can't be available all the time, otherwise we will burn out and/or have others at home getting burnt out with our obsessiveness. So, what can we do to ensure that we are still on the spot when we need to be but have a life at the same time? Part of this is in being proactive with the communication of our schedules and ensuring that our boss knows where, if they need us, to find us, but also being honest about the time that we are spending with family, friends, etc. If we are going away for the weekend, let the boss know and don't feel bad about disclosing that it is a special time, etc. It's quite okay to say after informing of your plans, "but if you really need me, do call". What this does is two-fold. It still leaves the door open but at the same time helps the boss in thinking through timing. Armed with the knowledge there is a confidence that the call doesn't need to be made on Saturday night if it's known that we are available on Sunday afternoon on the drive home. It's not perfect, but it is a way to manage both being responsive and available while having a little balance and still not missing out on the work that you want to come. And, we can't feel bad about not being instantaneous in our availability and answers all the time. Only One can legitimately lay claim to this. We read in Isaiah 30:19, "He will respond instantaneously to the sound of your cries". No on can always be on the spot, but God can be for us. He can also help us ensure that we gain the right assignments if we ask Him to direct what comes our way and what doesn't. As we know, He gives and He takes away. Let's refocus ourselves so that we are always on the spot with Him and then let Him take it from there for us.

Reference: Isaiah 30:19 (New Living Testament)