The Journey 31: Transformation in my work place/school

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Read: Numbers 13
Key Verse: Fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.[Isaiah 41:10 ]
History was created in the Australian Open Tennis tournament last Sunday. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played an incredible game of tennis in the finals of the Australian Open. The game went to almost six hours, which was the longest match ever played in the history of a grand slam tournament. Djokovic finally beat Nadal to win his third Australian Open title and his fifth Grand Slam trophy,  thus rewriting history. The match was replete with scenes of agony and also excitement even at 1.30 am in the morning when both  Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were coming up with fantastic  rallies which spectators might never have seen in their life. In an article by Alix Ramsay in the Australian open, after winning the title, a tired Djokovic stated that “I knew that I'm playing against one of the greatest players ever, A player who is  mentally strong, and who always comes up with his best game and best shots at the right moments. So I tried mentally to hang in there, to hold my composure, to hold my emotions. And, you know, even when I was 4‑2 down I still pushed myself up to the limit”.  Rest is history.
                “Pushing myself up to the limit”, “not giving up”, trying to “hang in there even if the going is tough”, does these phrases have any meaning in our life. It is these phrases that helps us to see whether we are a force to reckon with, a force by which we transform our work place or the school that we are in. On Tuesday’s we meditate on how we can transform our work place or school on the basis of the life of Caleb which is mentioned in the book of Numbers 13. God had great plans for the people of Israel. He wanted them to possess land, that God had promised to them, and before that the Lord asked Moses to send some of its men from each tribe to explore the land [ Number 13:1]. The two groups of people had two contradicting views of the land. One group saw the land but also saw the people who lived there were powerful and that they were large and were fortified [ Numbers 13: 28-29].  Here is a group of people who want the land but are overawed by the challenges that they will face if they have to occupy the land. On the contrary you have Caleb who is not overawed by the power of the people there, nor by its numbers nor its armour. Here is one person who is ready to face the challenge because for him what matters in life is to give the best to the Lord, and enjoy the fruits of the labour. I believe today we have these two types of people. One who is always overawed by challenges and hence live mediocre lives. These people don't find any satisfaction in their studies or in their jobs because they have to face challenges.  Every subject or every day is  very arduous for them and they just do their studies or their work more out of compulsion rather than for the love of it. But the people who are able to transform their work place or school are people who are ready to face challenges in life because it helps them to move from the level of mediocrity to levels of excellence. For these kinds of  people, challenges helps them to  bring the best in them. Their faith perspective is also  based on the principle that there is no challenge that God gives without also giving the strength to face it. Thus when we consciously decide to  take our life to levels of excellence, that we become channels of transformation wherever we are placed, be it a work place or school.
Ready to move beyond mediocre living to life of excellence?
 
For Further Study: Isaiah 40, Isaiah 41

Let us Pray: Dear Lord we are often overawed by challenges that we face in life. Help  us to face challenges in life so that we move from living mediocre lives to life of excellence. Amen

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