“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘…I will arise and go to my father…” Luke 15:17-18 NKJV
It’s not until you squander resources or make a lot of money before you realise you’ve become the person you don’t want to be. You realise this when one or more of your values have been tampered with.
I once had a terrible fallout with a team member at work that made me “come to myself”. He felt cheated and I as the leader in the middle, didn’t handle the situation as I ought to. Amid the whole argument, I knew something was wrong because I felt uneasy. My approach went against my desired value system and I realised I had allowed myself to be influenced by the current work culture and pressure from above.
By 5 am the next morning. I wept bitterly and kept saying, “this isn’t me”. I had become the bad guy in the situation and felt helpless. Although this happened in an environment that I’ll consider a milestone in my growth, it was an experience that also fast-tracked my exit. The last thing I wanted was to become someone I wasn’t going to be proud of.
The general idea about growth is that it can be tough, which is true. No matter your path in life, once you decide that you want to grow, you’ll hit roadblocks, be stretched, and often be placed on the thin line between good and bad decisions. Every decision will set you on a new path until you hit your next roadblock. At that point, you’ll need to decide who you want to be after you overcome that roadblock.
Your values and beliefs will be tested by people and systems. But the decision about your next step will remain with you. What will you do?
Will you squander what’s left of your identity or will you seek restoration? Whatever your answer may be, you’ll continue on your growth journey. But my last question will be…
Will you be proud of the person you eventually become? Think.
P.S. This is my 100th article in the Daily Workaholic newsletter and I’m super overjoyed. Although every new article is a milestone, I’m considering this a big one. I’d like my subsequent posts to be influenced by your questions and experiences. So please, what’s your #1 question about aligning your passion for what you do with God’s purpose? You can send me a DM or leave a comment. Thank you!
Leave a Reply