Issue 122
Do you ever get the feeling of being a bit lost? You can lose the thread of an argument, the sense of a project or the direction of your career. You can lose vision, energy, drive or enthusiasm. It is possible to feel a bit lost because you are out of your depth or skill- set (sometimes referred to as the ‘Peter Principle’). It is not uncommon when trying to grasp complicated information to say “sorry, you’ve lost me there”.
This feeling can take the mild form of a little confusion or the more serious condition of moral, intellectual or spiritual bankruptcy. The effect on the job in hand is universally negative, damaging and draining. Occasionally, fear can creep in and ally itself to this feeling, resulting in a sense of not just groping, but groping in the dark.
Around 1pm the day before writing this piece, I was thinking of my daughter whom I knew was on the road. I called her up and asked my usual “how you doing?” She said, “I’m lost in the middle of Leicester trying to find my way to their (her grandparents’) house.” “Do you want some help?” “Yes please.” “Where are you?” – She told me – “Ok, I’ll call you back.”
I put down the phone, logged on to a map of the area and called her back. As it happened, she was not far from her destination and I talked her through the half dozen roads she needed to navigate. Fifteen minutes later she called me back to say thanks.
It was just a small incident, but it illustrated a point for me. When you’re lost, your Father calls you up and says, “are you OK? Do you need help?” – and he offers it. You weren’t that far away from your destination but it was that intervention just at the right time which enabled you to get there. “Whether you turn to the right or the left,” says Isaiah, “your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “this is the way, walk in it””. My daughter heard her father’s voice and was enabled through the information she received to find the right path and the right direction.
Sometimes we emphasise the need to seek God and to stay conscious of him. At the same time God is seeking us and is conscious of us. It’s almost as if he calls us up and asks us if we’re OK. Then if we listen we’re able to hear his voice telling us which way to go when we’ve deviated to the right or the left. He gives us wisdom so that we can walk in a path that will enable us to reach both our short-term goals and ultimately our long-term destination. He is always watching over you at work; he is conscious of your sense of need and being lost. He is aware of your strengths and your weaknesses; He knows that new drivers and experienced drivers still get lost on the journey. As you embark on perhaps a new season of work it’s well worth remembering that someone is watching you and will call you up on a regular basis, especially if he sees you moving to the left or the right of the wisest path.
When he does that, it will be well worth calling him back fifteen minutes later to say thanks.
Isaiah 30:21 and 65:24
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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