Phil:3:13: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before,
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A winner ...says, "There is a better way.". A loser.... says, "That is the
way it has always been done around here."
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Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
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Life is full of opportunities to continue to do the same things. One man
defined insanity this way: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting
different results. Expectations, persistance of others, voices from the
past, and other forces impugn on our ability to think new, creative thoughts
about what we do.
How do you you get into the "better way" mentality. A favorite saying of
mine is, "If it ain't broke, break it." What? Don't you mean, "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it." No, I meant what I wrote. "If it ain't broke, break
it." Many times we build traditional barriers around an activity
structured on preference and our limited understanding at the time. Some
years back a story was told to me of a man curious about the way his wife
cooked a roast beef. She would always cut the ends off. Thinking their
must be a great culinary secret to this method he asked her why. "I don't
know," she replied, "my mother taught me that way." Pressed for information
on the private process he went to her mother. "I don't know," she
replied, "my mother taught me that way." Perplexed he drove to the matron
of the family's home and asked again. "Oh," she quickly responded, "my
roasting pan was too short to hold the full roast."
Most processes need to be repaired regularly. Now, you don't want to tear
up a good thing, so there are many other rules of change and improvement
like: Always give a change time to go through the curve of lagging
productivity until people learn the new way and become adept before
implementing the next change. AND Any change will be resisted in strength
in direct proportion to its' potential for improvement.
Life is full of processes and a "better way" mentality will protect you from
foolish failure. A computer tech went out to resolve a problem one day in
an executive secretary's office. Seemed that every time she printed a
letter she first had to print all the letters she had ever printed. It
took an half a box of paper to print a letter! The cost and time of doing
her job that way finally overcame her embarrassment and she asked for help.
The fix was simple. She was simply doing what she had been shown. Open a
file, go to the end, type the letter, print it. Problem was she had only be
given one file name and all the letters since she began her job were in one
file that she printed each time according to explicit instructions. Absurd?
Real. Fortune 500 company. Executive secretary doing something that needed
to be broken.
What about the way we converse with others? What about how we walk into a
meeting? What about how we greet our friends? Are those processes that
could use some "better way" mentality?
Jesus broke the mold for some in the way they treated their parents in a
story related in Matthew 15. God gave a principle. Honor your fathers and
mothers. They made a rule that discluded them conveniently. Tradition
overruled wisdom and principle, and Jesus saw through the smoke. Matt
15:6: Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your
tradition.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who
for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12: 1-2 NIV.
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Principle is principle is principle. Relationships, work issues, projects,
hobbies all present problems. When you allow others to help in the process,
you prosper quicker. Sometimes they have the solution you need. Always,
Jesus has the solution you need.
Where do you have a process, a way of doing things that really could use
some improvement by being broken?
Are you ready to give up personal preferences and do what it takes to "break
it and make it better" ?
Can you think of a scripture to apply that can help you into "better way"
mentality?
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Father, quicken my mind and heart. Life is full of processes. You know the
one that needs breaking and bettering at this moment. God, I can get so
confused with all of the items in life. What item can I work on today?
What am I doing that really does more damage than good? Where can I get a
lift seeing you touch a new area of my life and give me a creative fresh
approach? Cleanse my thinking, Lord. Jesus, be my wisdom, be my source, be
my life giver. Holy Spirit release the fresh wind of Your brooding. Brood
over my thoughts and bring order to their chaos that I might see clearly
what You want to create.