Issue 243
Based on Judges 5:6
People find ways or routes: settlers establish roads and explorers discover new territories; with the passing of time a civilised society builds its roads; if there is a Christian heritage our ways, routes and roads should follow the path of The Way himself and be founded on the principles of the narrow road and the ways of God himself.So we discover the way to build families following the ways of marriage; we follow the way of integrity, honesty and justice; we discover the path to the cross with all its lessons on human nature, forgiveness and sacrifice.
As we work we can explore best practice based on the new territories of Divine revelation and Godly wisdom. We can discover the meaning of manhood and womanhood, the guidelines for wealth creation and distribution and a host of wise ways to respond to the challenges of pressure, people, projects and workloads. It can take a prophet such as Jeremiah, Micah or Wilberforce to call us back to the right paths when we stray. History is littered with such ‘reminding’ people who give their lives to steer us onto the paths of righteousness.
But there are times when we don’t just stray or wander; we don’t just accidentally veer off course. There are times when the problem becomes much more serious. In the middle of a celebratory duet sung by the two leaders of Israel (a woman and a man) they describe a situation where the roads were abandoned altogether. It is a bleak and barren picture and a metaphor for any era where corporate policy is to abandon the ways of God.
You don’t need a piece like this to be reminded of the abandonment issues you face. How many abandon the paths of marriage, fidelity and parenting? How many abandon the path of honesty, self-sacrifice and service? On a deeper level, how many abandon the way of the cross altogether, proclaiming godless or alternative ways which abandon all biblical foundational layers.
The duet describes the result of such abandoning of the roads: “Travellers” they conclude, “took to the winding paths”. The picture is of an awkward bewildering journey along a confusing route with no certainty of arrival. It is a description of a tortuous, dangerous and lonely existence where hope and meaning are replaced with absurdity and pain.
These are the paths being travelled by many of your staff, colleagues or team members. There is a lostness, confusion and despair coupled with a lack of direction and security. We are now in second or third generation abandonment and travellers are taking to the winding paths in greater numbers.
The song lyrics call for leaders to lead and people willingly to offer themselves. The leaders are to lead people back to the Lord and the people to co-operate. This call might, for you, be to a path of prayer for your leaders or your own leadership and the people for whom or with whom you work. Stay on the road and call people back from the winding paths. I don’t know your circumstances, only you can sing your song.
Judges 5:6
6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned; travellers took to winding paths.
In preparation for the next GEOFFSHATTOCKweekly, do feel free to email us your thoughts to wtw@worktalk.gs or leave a comment on our Facebook or Twitter profile. You can also visit our YouTube channel - get inspired and share Worktalk's vision with others.
Work well
Geoff Shattock
© Copyright 2024 Geoff Shattock
All GEOFFSHATTOCKweekly archives are for personal use only. For permission to use for any other purposes please email using the address below thank you.
WORKTALK LEARNING
1 Washington Villas, Hythe Road, Marchwood, Southampton, Hampshire, SO40 4WT United Kingdom
T:+44 (0)23 8086 8543
http://www.geoffshattock.com
comms@worktalk.gs
