Are You Blindfolded?
Earlier this year I volunteered to do a Ted Talk on leadership in front of 200 colleagues. Most of my friends said, “you are doing what?” Yeah, I know. It was crazy. I thought the same thing! But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with a professional coach. Side note: I also proved to myself that I could still memorize a script!
My talk was on setting a vision for your team. In the business world it’s about having a North Star; that visionary goal of where you want to go and putting together a plan on how to get there. It leads to more engaged team members and more productivity as well. I love it! And I love that this is what I get paid to do!
As I researched the points in my talk I refreshed my memory on a book I had read years ago titled On the Gap. It’s a book about discovering lean transformation through strategy deployment and creating an inspiring target in order to achieve results. In the book, Mike Martyn writes about German researchers who discovered that when people were blindfolded they could not walk in a straight line. (Don’t try this at home!). In fact, in all cases the blindfolded people eventually ended up walking in circles. However, if those same people were given a distant target, regardless of the distance, if they could see it, then they could almost walk in a straight line to get there. Pretty amazing honestly. I was so intrigued with this concept. My entire talk was centered around this theme; setting the vision and giving people that distant target to work towards so they don’t spend their energy working hard but working in circles and not getting results.
The morning of my talk I got up early to read and pray, and practice again for the 50th time. I was absolutely blown away when I read these words that morning in 1 Peter 4:10-11.
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.”
At the time I immediately thought, “okay I have been given peace that things will go well today when I speak.” And I thanked God for giving me this reassurance. What I didn’t realize is that months later I’d see the talk I prepared in a totally different light and I would be writing this blog and speaking in front of women about the Christ centered transformation in my own life.
There are two questions I want to ask you. What are you living for? Is your personal vision on eternity? When I started really thinking about this and evaluating my own life it was a little overwhelming. To think about Heaven in the distance and one day standing before the maker of this amazing universe, our Father, God! How would I get there?
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4
When you are saved through God’s redeeming grace you become a new person; a new birth. Our new home becomes where Christ lives.
“For this is how God loves the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
As we start to grow our faith by reading the Bible and praying, we begin to think about that “North Star” (eternity!) – the things of Heaven and not of the earth. The world’s values become less important and we “see” what is the most important. Our hearts change, our goals in life change, and what we are living for each day changes. But we have to commit to a “plan” of getting to know our Father each day. We have to seek Him!
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
We get to wake up each morning thanking God that we have one more day to make a difference in this temporary life here on earth. The “how” we get there is through our daily renewal of TRUTH found in the Bible. As we read to know Him and as we pray to be more like Him; we discover that our path leads to Him. As we seek Him, his perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. And we can “see” where we are going!
When our vision is on Heaven, it does not mean that the road that lies ahead is easy and straight. Believers in Jesus Christ still have troubled times, they still face hardships, they still have pain and they still suffer from sickness. But even through these difficult times, we have a Father who is holding our hand each and every moment and He is leading us to a heavenly conclusion.
This past week I started reading the book of John again. I try not to have favorites but this book is right up there on my list with Matthew and Ephesians. The very first miracle recorded in the Bible is Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding festival. He revealed his glory to all that were present. The master of ceremonies in Chapter 2 says, “you have kept the best until now.”
There are so many people around us searching for meaning and purpose and quite often they look everywhere but to God. They never find the best thing that could have happened to them! Jesus Christ! In my teaching Bible I underlined this statement. “God does not mean dull and lifeless. Just as the wine Jesus made was the BEST, so life in Him is better that life on your own. Why wait until everything runs out before trying God? Why save the BEST until last?”
I am so thankful that two years ago my own personal life began to transform as my relationship with God became closer. I never thought about Heaven. I was too busy trying to be a good Mother, climb the corporate ladder, and to be a good person all on my OWN. But I was exhausted and severely disappointed with most of it. I am thankful I have been given this NEW life and that I get to live the rest of my life with the BEST; whether it is one day or many more years; I certainly saved the best for last.
As we continue in our ministry Working Women Rooted in Faith, I pray that women’s lives are changed. But not just changed so that they just get along with their boss better or they learn not to gossip, or they learn they don’t need to seek self worth from others. I pray for the women that aren’t rooted in faith and that they will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. That they too can live in peace and without fear and that they don’t wait until it is too late to realize the reality of eternity. It has weighed so heavily on my heart this week.
God loves each and every one of you. Sin on this earth separated us from God, but he sent his son to die for your sins and for my sins. You can set your vision on Heaven too. It is not too late! All you have to do is believe that Christ died for you and ask him to forgive you of your sins. And then seek him with all your heart! There is so much peace and joy that awaits you. I just can’t explain it in words. So let me ask you again. What are you living for? Is your vision set on eternity or are you blindfolded; going through life in a circle instead of seeking eternal life with our almighty Father?
‘If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the scriptures tell us, Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced. Jews and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call him. For Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9
If you ever need someone to talk to or someone to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us. You are so very loved!
Heather Callahan
10-31-19
