Pave The Way

I hope everyone had an amazing Easter; He is Risen!

Amen for that.

As always, thank you for being a part of this journey. Welcome to those that are just joining us on Edition 6! I hope you can receive something of value here and for the weeks to come.

Genesis 45:7 God sent me on ahead to?PAVE THE WAY and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance.

I have a few questions for you today...Are you living up to your end of that Sunday sacrifice and in turn paving the way for your family, friends, and future generations? Are you innovating and leading the way in your business, as an example for your employees, or in your profession in general? Essentially, what things are you currently doing to make things easier for others?

I am a huge fan of trying to start down at the root of things in order to get to a point of having a better understanding of them. So, let us gather some clarity. What does 'pave the way' even really mean?

By definition, it means to create a situation in which it makes it easier for someone to do something or for something to happen.

A way can be paved through the means of my Four I's (Not those 'Four eyes' lol) Stay with me here...

Inspiration, Innovation, Influence, Integrity.

All four are gifts that have been uniquely given to us, whether you believe that or not at this point. You may be saying, "Well Brett, I am not very innovative or influential. I just do my job and go home."

I can understand that viewpoint, because I am also awfully familiar with those lies that we tell ourselves. The lies that say, "influential - that is for someone else to do...innovative...that can't possibly be in the cards for me."

You see...the TRUTH is that we do possess all those qualities. They were deposits among many other giftings we have yet to uncover. We make the choice to not utilize them. It brings out the F-word.

FEAR.

The 'I' that we probably use most frequently is INACTION. Evidently, we should be attempting a 'presto change-o' to take ACTION of our giftings.

In Craig Groeschel's book, Winning The War In Your Mind, he states that sometimes, "It's like I'm in a confrontation with myself, and I'm losing."

We all have those battles. We are not unique in that sense, but in the moment, it sure feels like it, doesn't it?

We (generalized) let our inaction prevent us from stepping through the fear of having a genuine conversation with a colleague or a stranger which could lead to a reference point of influence over their life.

We let our inaction prevent us from voicing our ideas that could be used to innovate our workplaces.

We let our inaction prevent us from going the extra mile to help someone that could inspire a coworker to do the same and spread a little joy for a change.

We let our inaction prevent us from making that morally right decision that would instead build integrity.

Take a stand and say no more, because we are meant for abundantly more. We are all running out of time to pave the way for the coming generations and inaction is just not going to cut it. The difference is that God's way is THE WAY. We cannot live up to our true redemptive potential without God helping us pave the path ahead. I often like to think of the little direction setters/messages that God sends to me as pieces of candy on the path of life. I may start taking the wrong way...until suddenly...what is that up ahead..."OOOOH, a piece of candy, ooooh another one." He directs our steps, we are asked to walk in them.

My path has a lot in common with the Sarasota section of I-75 or even in Tampa near Dale Mabry. They are all always under construction and redirection.

The similarities still abound. We need to remain cognizant that the construction that is being done is to IMPROVE things & make things easier...just not necessarily in our desired timeframes. These little improvements, once paved however, will most definitely make things smoother and easier for someone else.

What are you going to do today to make things smoother, easier, kinder, more joyful, and more influential for someone else?

Step forward to the next step and PAVE THE WAY!