The other day my Dad came to visit. He came through the front door loaded with belts. Loaded! He had brown ones, black ones, fancy ones, and simple ones, and music to my ears: he was wanting to give them to me. The funny thing: I had been shopping for and purchased a belt the day before! Bad timing!
At the end of the visit, I took the collection of belts into my room to try a few on.
“Hmmm…” I remember thinking as I picked the first one up. “That seems sort of small!”
Sure enough, it was. Didn’t even tighten to the first little belt hole. I grabbed another belt, a really cool black leather one, and discovered the same problem: it was just a little too small for me. Turns out, they all were too small by ‘just a wee bit.’
My Dad has recently retired, and has given me a wide range of clothes that he no longer needs – some of which he had not even worn. Much of his clothes fit me just fine, but not his belts!
I’m reading a book by Zig Ziglar right now called, “See You At The Top.” This bit stuck out to me:
“Fortunately, you already have every characteristic necessary for success. You have some character, faith, integrity, honesty, love, and loyalty. You like some things about yourself and your fellowman. You have some goals, some “right” mental attitudes, and obviously you do some work and have some desire. Really, all you need to do is use what you have and give each characteristic a chance to grow, because the more you use of what you have, the more you will have to use. Besides, it doesn’t take much of a man or a woman to be successful – it just takes all of the person and you do have all of you.” – (Zig Ziglar See You At The Top pg. 27 and 28)
King Solomon once said: “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” Proverbs 12:11.
The deal with the belts? The work you and I do each day: Does it really belong to us? Or are we trying to wear someone else’s belt? Are we working our own field, or are we toiling in one that belongs to someone else?
Truth: there is nothing wrong with working on another person’s land. (Meaning: being an employee in a business. ) But you DO need to think carefully about how you’re working that field. Are you trying to ‘wear clothes that don’t belong to you?’ – Trying to do work that doesn’t really fit just because it looks nice, or because it’s fancy, shiny, or something that someone is expecting you to do?
Or are you doing work that fits your calling? Your vocation? That, as Zig Ziglar points to – ‘takes all of you’ to complete, and engages the talents and gifting you have inside?
Stepping into and fully engaging with the talents and gifts that God gave each of us in the work we do, regardless of if we’re working for someone else, or if we are self-employed, is a powerful way to connect with career satisfaction and success.
If we look around and find ourselves hating our work, or dreading Sunday evening because Monday is right around the corner, maybe start checking in with yourself: is that belt you’re trying to wrap around your waste a tad small?
What will you do about it if it is?
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