Oops! Wrong Wall!

You may have heard this story (or one like it) before:

A friend gave me a list of things that let you know when you are old. Some of them are silly, others are serious ... The really serious one is 'when you've gotten to the top of the ladder and you find it's against the wrong wall.' And that's where so many people are. It's dreadful."

What if this were true in your life (or mine)?  I will hazard a guess that is not based on fact—just a hunch.  Many over 50 reading this have already pondered the “wrong wall” scenario while those in their youth have not.  I can certainly remember my dreams and desires as a newly minted college graduate in 1973.  My worldview had been shaped not only by the time I spent in church but also by the time I had spent outside the church.  I wanted the new car (which I bought right after graduation), the nice living quarters (that happened as well) and aspired to climb the corporate ladder at Westinghouse (where I had recently been hired). 

Over the years the cars I bought got bigger (as did the houses) and I believed I had reached the apex when my wife and I lived on a golf course and I had my very own golf cart!  It just doesn’t get much better than this, right?   I had climbed the ladder and found power, money and toys at its top.  But as I enjoyed the view, a gnawing emptiness began to creep inside my materialism.  What about God?  What about others?  Was I created to become a scratch golfer?  Or was there something more—something I had missed along the way?

A Question (or two)

Could it be that divine calling is not about accomplishment after all?  What if success is defined not in measurable productivity but in the quality of our interactions with others?  What if the criterion by which we are ultimately evaluated is faithfulness rather than performance?  And what if a calling is not primarily about effecting change but rather about being changed ourselves? (from Renewing The City: Reflections On Community Development And Urban Renewal by Robert D. Lupton).

As I ponder the above questions, further questions ensue—How do you define “quality interactions?”  Faithfulness in what—my job, my family?  What changes does God want to see in my life—right now, and in the months and years to come?

Which ladder do I want to climb?  And what wall do I want to ascend? And for what reasons?

True North Wisdom

I am working on a presentation entitled, “Can you hear me now?...Wisdom’s Call to the Marketplace.”  Along with this I am developing a concept I call “True North Wisdom.”  True North Wisdom is actually applying heavenly wisdom in the marketplace.  At this point in my musings I see three “sources” of wisdom in our business world: 

• Secular (earthly) wisdom (There are thousands of business books that attempt to share worldly wisdom on success in business)
• “Christianese” wisdom (Earthly wisdom overlaid with well-intentioned Christian accoutrements)
• True North Wisdom (Heavenly wisdom applied in a business context—even if counter-intuitive to either secular or “Christianese” wisdom

Please note that earthly wisdom can be very effective both in producing results and in producing good.  And adding Christian thinking to any business strategy and tactic can also produce worthwhile results—both temporal and eternal.  However, True North Wisdom attempts to see the marketplace and my role in the marketplace from God’s perspective.  Wrestling with the “right thing to do” from God’s perspective can help each of us as we struggle to stay on the right ladder leaning against the right wall.   

There are no easy answers to the spiritual and ethical quandaries that we sometimes find ourselves in as we engage in commerce.  Seeking “True North Wisdom” involves not only Bible study, prayer, and wise counsel, but also a deep introspection as to our true calling in the marketplace.   

I need to ponder Bob Lufton’s challenges: 

Could it be that divine calling is not about accomplishment after all?  What if success is defined not in measurable productivity but in the quality of our interactions with others?  What if the criterion by which we are ultimately evaluated is faithfulness rather than performance?  And what if a calling is not primarily about effecting change but rather about being changed ourselves? 

Please ask our Heavenly Father to illuminate my mind and heart during this next year as I seek to more fully understand “True North Wisdom” and its implications for my life and God’s plan for Daystar Consulting. 

Keith 

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