True North Wisdom

I’ve had a lot of fun with an exercise I first used at a recent Leaders Serving Beaver County meeting.  Feel free to use it if you think it might add value the next time you are speaking to a group.  Here are the steps

1.      Ask each person to empty his/her hands.

2.      Then ask them to close their eyes.

3.      Explain that you will be saying “1, 2, 3” and will ask them to do something which will involve raising an arm.  After raising their arm, they are to leave the arm in that position.

4.      Then say, “1, 2, 3—point North!”

Now ask them to open their eyes and look around the room.  Usually, you will see fingers pointing in all directions—even toward the ceiling!

You ask them to put their arms down and then say something like this, “How many of you truly know which direction North is?”  A few will raise their hands.  Ask them to stand up and repeat steps 1-4 above just for those standing (the rest of the audience keeps their eyes open).  Usually, at least one of those standing will still point in the wrong direction—even though they were SURE they knew where North was!

Now you bring out your compass and explain that according to the way God has created the earth, there is only one magnetic North and it’s this way (show them).

So what’s the point?  The point is that in the marketplace, we will be working with people who will want to point us in all sorts of directions.  But as Christians, our obligation and our great joy is to pursue God’s one and only True North!  I call this True North Wisdom.  This is the heavenly wisdom that James discusses in chapter 3 when he writes:

“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.  For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom.  Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.  For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure.  It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.  It is full of mercy and good deeds.  It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” 

What We Do May be Different; How We Look Should be Very Similar 

I think that although each of us has to pursue our unique PURPOSE in the marketplace (see Weekly Insights 3-11 and 3-12), as we pursue our PURPOSE, we tend to start to look very similar.  What do I mean by that?  We begin to exhibit behaviors that line up with James chapter 3 (honorable, humble, not jealous, truthful, pure, peace loving, gentle, willing to yield to others, full of mercy, shows no favoritism, always sincere).  These behaviors really stand out in the marketplace!   

What a challenge that is to me!  Yet this is exactly what we Christians in the marketplace must do.  We must take our Sunday beliefs and attitudes and carry them with us into the workweek.  We must “walk the talk.”   

The Other Reality

There’s another exercise that I share with the group that involves standing up and holding your arms out in front of you with your index fingers pointing up.  Close your right eye and slowing move your index fingers away from each other until the right one “disappears.”  Now, obviously, your right index finger still exists.  And you can still see your left index finger.  To see your right index finger—just open the closed eye!   

The left index finger represents the physical reality that is all around us.  For example, the computer I’m now using; the chair I’m now sitting in.  The right index finger represents another reality—the spiritual world—that is just as real—only we can’t see it. 

You remember Thomas (so-called “doubting” Thomas) in the Bible.  He would not believe unless he could see.  After seeing Jesus (and believing), Jesus told him that others would be “blessed for believing without seeing.”  That’s you and me.  We must reach a place in our Christian walk where we “open the other eye” and see our larger Purpose in the marketplace—a spiritual Purpose.  You are not working where you work by accident.  You do not own your current business by accident.  There is a larger Purpose at work in your life and in mine.   

Don’t miss this.  Set aside time (regularly) to ask God to show you His Purpose for your being where you are in the marketplace.  Your being there goes way beyond providing a living for you and your family.   

Seek True North Wisdom.  Find your Purpose.  Wake up on Monday with the same worshipful attitude you wake up with on Sunday.  Take your faith and your desire to please Christ right into the office.  See where He is working in the marketplace near you—and join Him in that work. 

Keith 

Subscribe to these Weekly Insights at no cost at www.daystarconsulting.com

Weekly Insight answers to executive questions at http://www.daystarconsulting.com/faq.asp 

If for any reason you would like to be removed from our email list, please email Remove@daystarConsulting.com