|
|
Originally, I envisioned this newsletter as primarily looking at business through the lens of faith. Funny thing happened, though. I almost accidentally turned the lens around and looked at God through the lens of business. It felt weird, but it altered my perspective in a growth-stimulating way. So, I hope this edition gives you a new lens to see more dimensions of God. Spoiler alert: God looks amazing through any lens. Journey On, Mark@BruisedCamels.com | LinkedIn Jesus | A Business PerspectiveOur Boss Who Art In HeavenGod has a lot of names in the Bible. Boss is not one of them. Neither is manager, supervisor, or CEO. God’s royal names, like King of Kings, might be the closest cultural equivalent. God’s many and various names teach us, as finite humans, about God’s character. They’re lenses that focus us on a single characteristic so we can understand it better. So, what can we learn about God’s character by looking through the lens of the title Boss? Quick, hopefully obvious preface. God is our perfect boss. Just like he’s our perfect King and Father. There’s no shortage of terrible human Kings, fathers, and bosses. It’s important to remember not to compare God to the human version. Rather, God defines those names and sets the standard. So, what would a perfect boss look like? The number of definitions of a “good boss” is limited only by the number of consultants, trainers, and business authors. I’d suggest it boils down to a few things, which include:
As I read through the New Testament, I hear those same themes from Jesus and the apostles:
Looking farther back at the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:16-17,19-20, you might say God held a new employee orientation session with some basic policies, a job description, and delegated a kick-off project. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die…
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.”
Regardless of how literally you interpret the creation story, it’s fascinating that God delegated right from the start. Unless there’s a need for it, he doesn’t micromanage. We have a lot of freedom to do our work. I’d even go out on a limb and say that he enjoys watching us take responsibility, do our best, and grow. He delegated naming the animals and sat back to see how Adam would do. I strive to do the same thing for interns who work with us. I communicate directions and goals, provide training and resources, and then give feedback. But the work isn’t the point of an internship. The intern is. The goal is to transform them from students to professionals. Our mission does not depend on interns. In reality, they often hinder it. But I love watching students become something they weren’t. God doesn’t need me to accomplish his mission. He’s set a vision for me, given me a calling and skills, and the Holy Spirit holds me accountable. He doesn’t do that because he needs results from me. I often hinder them. He does it to transform me. God delights in watching us transform into our Christlike selves. John Ortberg frequently says: “The only thing God wants from us is the person we’re becoming.”
St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”
I realized He’s not bossing me around because he needs something. He’s making me fully alive. Reflecting on God as my boss through this lens helped me understand his other name, Master. We won’t go down the Star Wars analogy rabbit hole. But, thinking of myself as an apprentice is a liberating workplace metaphor. Understanding God’s difficult assignments, hands-off management style, and honest feedback in that context brings hope, not frustration. Business | StewardshipThrift Shops for BusinessesHome organizing experts frequently advise: “Make three piles of stuff, toss, keep, and donate. Works well at home. But what can you do with your business stuff? Even if you drop your prices, you may have excess inventory. Fortunately, there are non-profits out there that will take your excess inventory. They offer a creative option for wisely stewarding excess inventory. LiquiDonate matches your excess inventory with the needs of non-profits or other businesses. Then they can help with delivery if you need it. Their online platform aims to make it easy to keep items out of landfills and circulate them back into the economy. They also may be able to directly connect with your POS system for real-time donation data transfer. To be clear, LiquiDonate is not a non-profit. They connect you to one that needs your stuff. Alternatively, if you’re involved with a non-profit that can use donations, it might be a source of in-kind donations. Either way, check ‘em out at LiquiDonate.com. World Vision also has a well established in-kind donation program. They’re, of course, a non-profit themselves and use the donations directly in their work around the world. I’m familiar with their work with building materials through The Storehouse of World Vision in Chicago. They do a great job getting excess inventory to people who need it. Lots more info here: World Vision – Product Donations. Lastly, if you’re like me and cleaning out an empty nest or your business has home related inventory, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores are fantastic. They have over 1,000 local locations. Check Habitat.org/ReStores to see what’s near you. Kitchen Sink | Welcome!New Here?Did a friend forward this to you? Get your own subscription with one click.
Enjoyed the newsletter but want to check out others before subscribing. Cool! There are more articles on the website. Want some background on me before trusting me with your email? I would too. LinkedIn and the website FAQs are great ways to get acquainted. Shoot, just email me directly at Mark@BruisedCamels.com. Answering your email would be the highlight of my day Not interested anymore? Click here | Change your profile here |
|
You can find us at BruisedCamels.com or 1030 Trillium Trl, West Chicago, IL 60185 |
