The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. Psalms 16:6 NKJV
Know Your Partners
“Everyday your competitor gets up to take away your business.”
A mentor and partner spoke that to me at a critical juncture. Later his competitor nature surfaced and he took away the business. Daily, I served the partnership in expectation of continuing reward. I should have listened more closely. I thought he was talking about someone else. He was warning me of his nature. I was duly warned. My bad.
In Aesop’s fable he tells of the duck and the scorpion. The scorpion convinced the duck to give a ride across the water, promising he would not hurt him. With caution and compassion the duck agreed. As he jumped off the duck’s back at the end of the ride, he stings and kills the duck. The duck astonishingly asked, “Why?”, as he dies. Scorpion replied, “I can’t help it. It is my nature.”
After dealing with such, we find it hard to trust a faithful and good God. He defines a great path for those under His grace and protection. It is His nature. He also has a nature of justice and just retribution, for those who live outside His path. We need to understand both and chose the path of greatness that appeals to His protecting and providing nature. Once we become family, He stays with us.
The beauty of God is His unchanging good nature. We might shift, but He does not shift. He puts us in a world of reward and growth. Our defining lines of strength are given and He does not change. Yes, we choose to live in them or not, but He does not change. When He commits, it is forever.
Know Your Swing
I didn’t learn how to swing a golf club until late in my career. And even though I won all those tournaments, I still struggled with consistency, and I relied on my strengths, which were hitting the ball long and high, and I could chip and putt with the best of ’em. Tom Watson
Watson gives great insight. Gold is not my thing. I play for fun and friendship. When I take out a new ball, I paint a smiley face to remind myself why I am playing. Each has ability and strengths. Weakness is hard to fix. Cover it with strengths. Adjust and play to your best side. Early in my career, I found a ready and excellent skill to fix broken processes and develop others. Those skills serve me every day. I enjoy them. They have served me in retail, print-publishing, discount, non-profit, community, and healthcare concerns. The skills are adaptable. What are your skills?
Three Hats Check this out.
Know Your God
In business and community, God is faithful to give me good. Companies have folded and sold. Partners have shifted and shafted. In all, my contract with God has held solid. We always stay together and the situations always work through to good benefit. My lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. They can for you, also.
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