day 1092: Finding Bottom

"Even when I walk through the darkest valley,  I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff  protect and comfort me."

Last week the music industry posted their first year of growth since 1999.  While it was still a very small increase of 0.3 percent, totaling $16.5B (revenue before 1999 was $38B) it appears that the music industry found bottom and barring any other unforeseen issues the consumers are telling the industry that they are spending a little more last year than the year before on music.  How that spending is occurring is radically different than 1999 (pre the original Napster).  What is fascinating though is that because of the Internet and new digital technologies, music consumption is at an all time high. While there is growth there hasn't been a business model to bolster and economically legitimize the consumption boom.  Ups and downs are part of the business cycle and there is a bottom for all of us that we have to find so we can gain a footing and then push off from there.  How we find that bottom and what shape we are in when we get there is always the challenge.  If we can keep perspective, not panic, and stay strategically open-minded when we hit bottom it won't feel like such a crash.  Sometimes, like in music's case it takes over a decade, but even with all the missteps in that industry, a bottom can be found that can become foundational.

God knows that we all have to walk into the valleys of life if we are going to make the human journey.  What is comforting is that when we are at the bottom, we are never alone.  David tells us so in the famous Psalm 23.  He says that we need not be afraid at the bottom, in the valley, for God is with us.  Beyond that, he tells us that God brings His rod and staff to protect us from harm.  At any given time, we or someone around us feels like we are finding the bottom and are scared that we will never come out.  Not all of us have the faith of David so we need to see that God has put His rod and staff out there to protect us.  Could it be that today you are to be God's rod and staff for someone else?  Someone you know needs God's comfort and protection today.  Can you reach out to them to let them know that you are there for them and you bring not only yourself but your bring your prayers and therefore the power of the Almighty's rod and staff with you?  And if it is you who are finding bottom as you read this, be encouraged and know that you are not alone.  Reach out to a fellow believer today and ask for a prayer.  God will extend His rod and staff for you.  Promise!

Reference: Psalm 23:4 (New Living Translation)

day 310: Starting At The Bottom

I was talking to a college graduate from last year who just found a job. As he described the job to me, he was very humble and grateful that he had any job to begin with. He told me that the job he had taken required him to start at the bottom and work his way up. I explained to him that this was fine and that most of us, myself included, did just the same thing. Not enough stories are told about those who started in the mail room and ended up in the corner office. That's mainly because most of us don't stay in one company long enough to see that full ascension cycle occur. But even when we change jobs, we know that we need to start at the bottom and work our way up. That may mean that we need to start at the bottom of the organization and the root of the work and learn the business from the ground floor, all done before we can be truly effective in our new role. Those that come in from the outside and act as if they know and understand the business before they really do, don't last long. This is a challenge for all of us, to work as though we don't know everything and continue to return to the foundations of our business and to the people who do the real work and value their work and the relationships we can have with them. Just a few day after Christmas we should be reminded that Jesus took the same approach. He came to the earth and started at the bottom of the bottom, as a baby, born in a manger in a stable and from there worked at his life like God desired to rise to be the King of Kings. We so often think that life and success should come easy and that we have "earned it already". Any time we start to fall into that attitude and we forget that life and success at work is really about what we do to work from the bottom up, then all we need to do is think about how our Lord started into this world and how He, without regret or disappointment, worked, learned and waited until it was time for God to bring about His purposes. As we enter into the last days before the New Year, let's not forget the example that Jesus provided for us and let us never forget from where we have come and how important it is to never lose sight of importance of starting at the bottom.

Reference: Luke Chapter 2 (New Living Testament)