Are you the 1 missing piece? 🔩
↩️UNFOLLOW University — March 10, 2023
Happy Friday
It finally arrived! After weeks of measuring, searching and second-guessing, I found the perfect table for our living room. This was more than a table, this was the table. And the box was sitting at my door.
The directions declared, “Some assembly required.” I looked inside for the bag containing all the screws, nuts and bolts.
I found it. Empty. Every tiny part I needed was scattered across a dark sea of styrofoam pellets.
Piece by piece, I fished each one out of the box and into its proper place. As I assembled the last leg of the table, I discovered one bolt was still missing.
Frantically, I foraged through the cardboard and searched the room for the missing hardware. No luck. The entire table was now useless.
One small part would make the difference between a table that worked and a pointless hunk of wood.
Finally, in the darkest corner of the box, I spotted the lost bolt trapped beneath a fold of cardboard.
Victory! I put it all together and we’re still using the table 3 years later.
🤯 Radical Truth
Everyone has a calling but most of us stay trapped in a career.
It’s easy to remember every piece of furniture has a purpose. It’s harder to realize every person has a plan.
Your name is in a box on someone’s org chart. And sometimes, the people who gave you the opportunity to get in the box expect you to stay there for their benefit; at your expense.
The box the bolt arrived in had one job: to transport it to my house. Once the bolt arrived, however, the same box became a barrier separating it from what it was made to do.
Like screws, nuts and bolts, we’re designed to be interdependent. I am a seeker and a solution. I am your answer and you are mine. When you say “yes” to what you’re called to do, the boxes created for you become obsolete.
It’s easy to list all the ways I’m not qualified for doing God’s work. It’s harder to believe in a God who works with unqualified people.
I have enough can’ts, won’ts and don’ts to fill a million boxes. The hardest box to escape was the one I created for myself. But God, the ever-patient Father, knows assembly is always required. He goes looking for lost pieces and knows exactly where to place them.
It’s never inside a box.
⚡️Courageous Question
Who needs to know they’re needed today? How can I show them they belong?
đź—Ł Wonderful Words
“A genius is the one most like himself.”
— Thelonius Monk
🙏🏽 Prayer Package
God, sometimes it’s hard to see your plan or trust the instructions I can’t see. But you never stop pursuing me. I know I’m a small piece - maybe even a broken piece - but even darkness can’t dim my worth when it’s wrapped in your love. Thank you for using me and being faithful when I’m not.
đź“– Romans 12:4 - 6
🎵 “Available To You” - Melinda Watts
đź› Practical Tool
I “discovered” Luke Finley’s writing at a time I needed it most. His essay on calling, A Calling Isn't Telling God What You Want to Do, ruined my trip to India in the best way and started me on a journey to answer questions I’d rather avoid.
Read the whole piece here. Then spend quality time with these 3 courageous questions to discern if you’re following a “calling” or a “telling.”
If I got paid just enough to get by, would I still want to do this job?
If I could never tell anyone about what I did, would I still want to do this job?
If I knew I would always be obscure and never make it big, would I still want to do this job?
Thanks for reading, sharing and sending feedback! You can see previous posts here.
See you next UNFOLLOW Friday!
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Every Friday I’ll send you 5 courageous ideas to help you redesign your work life by making better career decisions:
🤯 Radical Truth - A story from me
⚡️ Courageous Question - A challenge for you
đź—Ł Wonderful Words - A quote worth remembering
🙏🏽 Prayer Package - A moment of meditation
đź› Practical Tool - An actionable resource
