Divine Partnership: What the Garden Says About Our Work Identity

May 26, 2024May 27, 2024Leave a comment

Some quick scratch notes on our work identity as seen specifically through Genesis 3:

Scripture:

¹⁷And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.¹⁹By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

²⁰The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.²¹And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. ²²Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” ²³therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Scratch Notes

We don’t work because of the fall. We work because God intended it to be a divine partnership!
A primary consequence of original sin as it relates to work are the thorns and thistles, the strife we experience within our occupational calling.
The thorns and thistles can look a number of different ways; however, they often involve the collision of our depravities, the interlocking of our sins and limitations, the lack of justice and fairness in some cases.
While our walk with God can prune us as vessels in the marketplace, we must realize our effectiveness is tied to our vertical reliance, our commitment to being like Christ on the clock.
Again, we were created to work as co-partners with Christ/ambassadors for God’s Kingdom as part of our original design (see Adam’s animal naming assignment in Genesis 2:20-22). Despite the fall, we still have a vocational calling. The problem is the overflow of grace, peace, joy, etc. in our jobs can be significantly harder.
While sin’s entrance into the world reversed the natural current in which we effort upstream, our intentionality to be faithful can become rhythmic as we depend on God. This is largely why discovering Him is so important!
God is with you always, so lean on Him when things aren’t working out. After all, He wants the marketplace to be the market space in which He speaks and moves! Why not cry out to Him when you’ve overwhelmed, when you’re burnt out, when you’re being misused or mistreated? Remember He wants to hear from you, so don’t you dare stay silent in times of trouble.

Selah.

Cover photo creds: Wallpaper Cave

The Prodigal’s Wardrobe: Why the Bling Matters

May 16, 2024Leave a comment

Written 3/21/16; revised 5/16/24

So last week, I’m revisiting the prodigal parable when it dawns on me: Before there could be a party (v. Luke 15:23) for the son, there first had to be ‘fashion statement’ (v. 22), an opportunity for him to know why he was being celebrated.

Like others, my last read through of Luke 15 wasn’t the first time in which I visualized the father decking his son with boughs of jolly. To be honest, I used to skim over this part as a side detail. ‘Nice! The dad is thrilled his son is back,’ I’d think to myself.

But having marinated in this passage further, I can’t help but wonder if this excerpt is the most profound part of the entire story.

For starters, not only does the passage highlight a daily reality of God’s father-heart of love, but it also emphasizes the progression of God’s ministry of reconciliation, a progression as follows:

God’s confirmation of our identity
God’s admittance of ‘as we are’ in light of who we are
God’s celebration of #1 + #2

Per the list above, part of the revelation for me lies in how easily we skip from #1 to #3 when reading the parable. We remember the father’s compassion (v. 20) and the party he throws (v. 23), yet we forget how the father loved on purpose in between as evidenced by his desire to adorn his son with specific garments:

The robe representing a fresh outpouring of grace…
The ring representing a symbol of sonship and authority…
The sandals representing a charge for the son to walk afresh and anew (under both coverings)…

…pretty remarkable, right?

Clearly, the father wasn’t content on just running to embrace his son.

Was he overjoyed? Of course! Was he relieved? Absolutely.

However, as much as the father wanted to welcome his son, he wanted even more so to establish him into a renewed sense of identity, place, and purpose! Accordingly, one has much to gain connecting the parable to real life.

‘Cause truth is: We’re ALL prodigals in some capacity. We’ve all stumbled into rough places and tough times at one point or another. We’ve all encountered rude awakenings involving unexpected setbacks, and in some cases, our own depravity.

Yet, when we receive the power of this parable, we ultimately discover how the story doesn’t end with God forgiving us. In fact, it’s only the beginning!

For even in the wake of our setbacks, our Papa God never stops seeking a way to reconcile us as heirs with an inheritance (Romans 8:17), as anointed children blessed with a destiny. Put another way, God always has a party invitation with your name on it secured in an envelope sealed with grace. And while you’re not forced to open it, if you decide to, you’ll not only find directions, but also information on how to prepare for it. How awesome is that?

The next time you’re tempted to mentally wallow with the pigs, remember God isn’t satisfied to slap an “I forgive you” onto your wrongdoings, your past hurts and failures, and call it a day.

Moreover, God wants to remind you…

…your identity is not lost…
…your place at the table is unclaimed…
…and oh, by the way, when you choose to change, heaven celebrates. Like a good neighbor, He’ll not only help you arrive at a better place, He, by His Spirit, will help you stay there, too.

My encouragement to you today is to claim the robe, the ring, and the sandals, put on the garments of praise (Isaiah 61:3), and live knowing you’ve been fully reinstated into wholeness with God. Sure, there may be days when your self-perception seems hopelessly chained to dark, dreary memories, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a way to walk in your sonship!

For me, whenever I find myself in that taxing tug-of-war, I…

Confess I’ve been forgiven and set free…
I declare my identity as a mighty man/son of God…
Recommit my ways unto the Lord.

Abiding by this pathway, I affirm God’s confirmation, admittance, and celebration of who I am and *wallah*…God’s mission of reconciliation is complete in that moment.

Well, folks, I’m out of words today. As always, if you need prayer, a word of encouragement, a dose of stimulating dialogue, Lys and I are here.

‘Til next time, stay thirsty, my friends…

Selah.

Cover graphic creds: Dr. Eltan Bar

Pride Killer: Why Humility Always Wins

May 6, 2024May 7, 2024Leave a comment

Written 12/9/2016; revised 5/5/2024

There’s something you should know about me: I make mistakes.

Not a few, not several, but a lot. Why I have no problem admitting this, I don’t know.

Granted, I count it all joy, yet this doesn’t mean I enjoy confessing weakness given I prefer to shadow it under the comfort of closure.

Yet, after digesting one of the worst weeks of 2016, I can honestly say while it hurts to fall down, there’s gain in the rise up.

‘Cause truth is: A good leader best learns from his failure not by how he stays ahead of it, but by how he responds to it.
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Permit me to unpack…

When we talk about leaders doing ‘leader’ things, it makes sense those things remain above reproach. I think we can all agree there.

However, given leaders are people too, one must remember their mistakes are just as inevitable. Thus, how leaders handle adversity, setbacks, and errors in judgment is worth discussion.

For instance, in my ministerial role, there are times a protective heart can become overprotective if offense (real or perceived) compromises trust. Knowing my weakness, there are moments when I start to feel anxious and troubleshoot a problem before praying into it.

In these moments, I find the best way to realign and reset is humility.

Now, humility is one of my favorite topics, in part, since Jesus sets the ultimate example, not to mention, when I’m healthy, the trait isn’t difficult to employ. Growing up, I wasn’t always teachable, but once I started integrating humility into relational troubleshooting, maturing in meekness became more seamless, clicking into gear the more I realized I needed forgiveness on a daily basis.

In the case of this post’s inspiration, I overstepped a boundary in my attempt to establish one. Despite good intention, the execution was marred by impulse and entitlement. After processing my lapse in judgment, I realized…

To receive grace, one must first accept mercy.
The best way to do this is to yield our humanity to humility.

Applying these two steps, it wasn’t long before I went to my pastor and set up a meeting to apologize to those I offended. The process was exhausting yet liberating to the extent I allowed myself to be a grace filter. The more humility flowed through transparency, the more offense evolved into peace and understanding.

All that said, my point in sharing this story is:

1. Humility is a precious gift but also a powerful weapon and an exit strategy for those tempted to take reconciliation into their own hands. If pride (or any derivative) is like being locked out of your car, humility is the wire hanger that breaks the jam and gets you back to where you need to be.

2. There will be times when we think we’ve got it, only to find we’ve lost it. Thankfully, when we receive grace and apply humility, we become more concerned about what is right than who is wrong. By dying to our right to be right, we essentially find the right way to the right path. That’s the power of humility in action.

As for the month ahead, stay tuned as I plan to revisit my toxic workplace series and unveil some traits of healthy/non-toxic work cultures.

‘Til then, stay humble, my friends, and consider praying in the Bible verses below.

Selah.