Recently, as I was preparing for a teaching on parenting, I was reminded how counter intuitive our God is. Years ago, I wrote four paradoxes in the front of my Bible. These 4 Paradoxes hold the Keys to Success for every area of endeavor. The question is, are we willing to go cross-grained to all that seems logical in our own mind to get to a success where everyone wins?
The first mind-altering statement . . .
We gain by losing
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” Luke 9:24
Some brilliant leaders have discovered this concept and incorporated it into their leadership teachings. One of my favorites follows:
“You can have anything you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.” Zig Ziglar
This philosophy is a slap on the face of our “take care of number one” culture. Our mind says, “If they win, that means I lose.” Jesus says we should put others first.
So, which philosophy when applied actually works?
I’m taking a challenge for the next 30 days to deliberately put others first, and I hope you’ll accept this challenge as well. Kind of like Myth Busters, we’ll find out whose philosophy is right, only our results will make an eternal impact.
Try making a list of all the things your boss wants to achieve, the house they want to live in, the car they want to drive, or the vacation they’d like to take and commit to working for them to achieve their goals. Or how about putting your husband or wife first . . . novel concept. What friend needs a win? How about your kids? There is a whole hurting world out there. Find someone and help them achieve their dreams. Sometimes what they need most is for someone to believe in them when they can’t believe in themselves.
The life you change may be your own. This is renewing your mind in brick and mortar.
Next time, we’ll look at another one of Christ’s counter intuitive statements. In the meantime, let me know how it’s going.
scourtneylawson 