day 1254: Hesitations

"And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering"

I believe that the adage is, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  I remember being taught in pee-wee baseball that "Hesitation is the mother of disaster".  It seemed true back then but as I have grown older, I would say that it is far from true in life.  Like the eskimos have many names for snow, hesitation can be thought of as 1) Good- hesitation that allows one to stop, think, sort their head and weigh out the consequences of a decision or move.  2) Bad - hesitation that comes from fear and uncertainty and removes the  possibility of making a move, even when calculated. 3)  Worst - hesitation that gets one stuck with no possibility of moving forward but with extreme anxiety and stress from not having done so.  So, hesitation as defined in scenario 2 and 3 are recipes for disaster, but scenario 1 can save us from disaster.  The question is, "How do we know the difference?"  The antidote lies somewhere in experience, trusting one's gut and instincts, relying on trusted advice and counsel and not allowing pride, hubris or arrogance get in the way of hearing that calm and caring voice within us.  It is an art, not a science.  It cannot be taught without real-word learning lab experiences.  But, mastering hesitation can be a game-changer and differentiation from good to great.

In our faith we all will find points where we waver.  On the surface it seems silly to do so, but in reality, hesitating and wavering is what is being reinforced all around us each day. What can we do about it?  We must countermand those messages with God's promises and assurances by staying close to Him.  He doesn't want us to live a life of hesitation.  He wants us to live a life of confidence and assurance. We are not alone in our hesitations.  All around us are believers in the same place.  We can strengthen each other by showing God's mercy and grace when someone else stumbles or wavers.

Reference: Jude 1:22 (New Living Translation)

day 929: Power Stuggles

"To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." 

If you have opened up a business section, watched the news, or skimmed the headlines online over the last week then you will have seen the corporate battle taking place in North Carolina over the merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy. The ouster of Bill Johnson as CEO, and installation of Jim Rogers, within hours of the merger reads likes a business fiction thriller and conjures up the days of "Barbarians at the Gates".  Even after all of the sworn testimonies and lawsuits we may never know whether the change of CEO's was premeditated, but what is evident is that a power struggle ensued and the Board of Directors changed their mind and took an action that will be questioned for awhile. What is also certain is like with any power struggle that egos and personalities had a bearing on the decision. At this level of corporate America the size of the boardroom has to be big to fit the egos that walk into the room. When trying to accommodate and make room for two highly successful CEO's, who then are to co-exist in new and subordinate positions to each other, is similar to bringing together a warm and cold front across the Midwest on a hot summer day.  There is going to be a storm and it's going to be a big one (which happen to be the worst of times for power companies). We'll have to watch and see what happens in the particular "power struggle" but without a doubt the winners and losers will be at it for some time.

Power struggles are not new to any of us.  We see them all the time and for the most part they come and go.  We are also familiar with the power struggle that happens inside of us each and every day.  It's us, our own personality, ego. and will in struggle with giving it all up and allowing God to have full authority and dominion over our lives. Reflect on what we have watched, heard and read about the power struggles in business and consider that the same is happening inside of us daily.  Here we sit, with the greatest power of all time wanting to give and provide for us, and we push back, rebel and do all we can to keep our own control.  It's time to give up the "power struggle" and let the real power flow through us today.  There is only One who should be in the position of power in our lives and we know who He is! All we have to do is willingly step aside.

Reference: Jude 1:25 (ESV)