One Landmine to Personal Productivity

One Landmine to Personal Productivity

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Landmines have one objective they are laid out to injury, destroy and kill. They are hidden just under the ground, and quite. What if in our lives, let’s say in the area of personal productivity there are landmines in our life. These little, or perhaps not so little, destructive elements that are creating barriers to succeeding in our productivity.  

Many times when we look at personal productivity, we think about systems and tools. However, what if it is deeper than that. What if pride can destroy our productivity. 

Today I know we are encouraged to be proud, but let me explain what I mean by pride. I see three parts to it.  

  1. Thinking we are better than others
  2. A need to feel special.    
  3. A need to show others all you have done.   

We can negatively perceive our selves when we do not check off everything on the to-do list. We can get a false identity from how much we accomplish and we ride the emotional roller coaster of the ups and downs.    

Really who are we trying to impress may be a question to ask?

When others do not live up to our standard, we look down on them. There is an attitude that we know better than others. That, in turn, hurts teamwork or partnership, and it pushes others away. We need others to succeed. As we help them succeed, we succeed. 

What do we do?

A loss of humility causes pride. Humility is about remembering the facts and truths. Humility is about remembering to give dignity to others. Humility is remembering we are not a superhero. Humility is recognizing our needs and weakness and graciously expressing them. Humility is being ok with failing. Humility leads us to learn from a situation. Humility can help us in the area of personal productivity. 

What is one of your landmines to personal productivity? 

Gideon joining the work of God- part 6

Gideon joining the work of God- part 6

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series: Gideon

Text: Judges 6:14

How we view ourselves is important to understand.  One of the great challenges for us all comes down to the question who am I.

We live in a world with many competing voices declaring who we should be and how we should live.  Our choices and circumstances often lead to shaping our identity and our view of ourselves.

When we look at the story of Gideon and his journey of walking away from fear and embracing faith, it is a journey of understanding himself through a new lens. As God speaks to him, God meets Gideon where he is at (Judges 6:11).  When he speaks to Gideon it is in a manner as to how God see Gideon and what Gideon is created to be not as Gideon sees himself.  The same is true for us.

 

Eph. 2:10- For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

In Judges 6:14 God says to Gideon ” Go in the strength you have..”

 

Could the LORD have already given us the strength we need to step out of our fear and embrace faith?

 

The source of the strength comes from two places.

 

First, it comes from Gideon.  God has created him, gifted him.

 

Second, in the second part of the verse God asked: “am I not sending you?”  It is a question with an implication.  If God is sending us we can do it.

Sometimes we just need 20 seconds of courage to step out of the fear and embrace faith. The foundation of that courage is truth that God is with us.

 

In that moment of reminding Gideon that God is sending him, he calls Gideon to look upon who God is and what he is doing.  It is when we understand who God is and what he has done that we understand who we are and what we are to do.

 

The truth is God is sending Gideon; God is with Gideon.  The question then is if this is true what changes in Gideon’s life.  What changes to how he spends his time? What changes to how Gideon views himself?  What changes as to what Gideon is to do?

 

The question for us is if Jesus is with us and sending us, how does that change how you live and see yourself?

God is calling Gideon to step out and embrace his work in the world.  What about you?

 

Gideon’s first question to God was really “where have you been?” and “are you really with us?” God’s response is “I am with you, now go.”

It is their fault or is the enemy closer?

Posted on by Matthew Laker

HD_ea0132jSometimes our own actions and attitudes are the greater enemy.

Yes, there is an enemy out there that is contributing to your problems.  But, there is also an enemy that many of us are unwilling to consider.

There was an individual who once shared this story with me. ‘I was doing the dishes in our home and cleaning up.  During this time I was getting upset with my spouse, and placing much blame.  Then I asked myself the question, ‘What have I done to contribute to the situation? The individual added, ‘It was a sad realization though, of how much I was contributing to my own frustration, and bringing tension to the relationship.’

What if instead of searching out an enemy or blaming the enemy out there, we began to reflect on what “I” have done or are doing that has contributed to the perceived problem.

“There is in each of us a propensity to find someone or something outside ourselves to blame when things go wrong”  The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization

We live in a time where we are very quick to blame others.  Whenever there is a problem it is caused by the enemy out there.  It is always someone else’s fault.  Think about your relationships and when conflict comes, is your first thought they or I?  When you have a business problem, is the first thought they or I?

At the beginning of the Biblical story we see Adam blaming Eve and Eve blaming the snake. We seem to try and transfer blame first, believing the enemy is out there.

We need to understand that the enemy is not always out there.  We can perceive problems as externally caused, but what if our own actions and attitudes may be coming back to hurt us?  I understand that sometimes we have done nothing to the enemy, and they are just lashing out at us and hurting us.  However, I want to challenge the idea that it is someone else’s fault for how I reacted, or for my attitude.

This is important to understand because it can help defuse a heated argument. It can help us get unstuck and lead to personal growth.  It can help your business by really understanding why something did not work out how you thought it should.

Understanding that the enemy is not always out there can lead to change that brings wholeness. Understanding that the enemy is not always out there can help you get out of the valley.

Some things to consider:

· Hit the Pause button – where can you take a deep breath and take steps back to see the full picture. This is self-evaluation.

Questions to ask:

  • How has your attitude contributed to the situation?
  • What actions have you taken that could have poured fuel on the fire?
  • Why do you think that person did that action or reacted in the way they did?
  • What attitudes and actions contributed to the problem?

Jesus put it this:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

This was not to say that the fault lies with you and you alone.  In a way he is saying the enemy is not always out there.  He is calling Jesus followers to understand how similar you are to that other person.  At the same time, there is a reality check that you may not be able to change that other person, even if you point out their sin.  You can however change yourself, and if you are going to point out a weakness or sin in another, be humble to take correction yourself.

By understanding this and asking the above questions, and by correcting your own contributions to a situation, you can take steps to greater wholeness and life success.

Do you have any great self-evaluation question to ask?