My Wife’s Drawer. A Spooky True Story.

The silence of the house was unfamiliar and I was alert. This was my chance. The family had gone to school and work. As long as they didn’t forget something and come back in, I would be ok. I could finally see for myself.

Heedful not to disturb its contents, I opened the wooden drawer. There couldn’t be any evidence I was here. Immediately, I saw them. They were lying right on top, in plain view. Three containers, each holding physical remains. And I had known it all along. I’ve never seen so many parts of humans gathered like this.  Why did she have these? Was she planning on collecting more?

This story is absolutely true.

I opened the door using just one of the eight keys the mortgage officer had given us.

“Don’t drop me,” Nicole said as I picked her up and carried through the threshold of the doorway. July of 2009 was ‘Florida hot’ as some say—humidity that makes armpit sweat a popular fashion statement. We were walking into our newly built home. This is something we had planned together for years. Aiden was just a few months old, sleeping in his car seat which we carried into the house for the first time. The smell of new paint and wood met us as our two-year-old, Evan, ran passed us holding his tiny Lightning McQueen car shouting “Ka-chow!”

“Now it’s a home,” I thought to myself.

There wasn’t a need to feel rushed or hurried since our movers wouldn’t be arriving with our furniture until the following day. This gave us time to introduce ourselves to the new home, room-by-room as it greeted us back. We made our way around with feelings of anxiousness and excitement, studying every feature of the home.

Saturday, March 19, 2013: 1,352 days after we had moved into our new home, something pivotal happened.  It would take me years to realize how important this event was. But what a beautiful night! 63 degrees. Summer temperatures would be here shortly but in the meantime, a welcomed cool breeze blew over our Northern facing yard. I was in our backyard when suddenly the door opened up.

“It is really loose,” Nicole said. Her eyes were wide and enthusiastic. She quickly shut the door and ran back upstairs.  I took one last deep breath outside and walked back in. Evan met me at the top of the stairs, his blushed face told me he had been crying. But only a little. He stared at me and then smiled. Between his tiny teeth was a gap. His very first tooth. I had just missed it.

Evan loses his first tooth

“Wow! Evan, you did it!” I said. This had been many days in the making and we knew it was going to take great courage from Evan to have this tooth finally fall out. He looked overjoyed and accomplished. I can also tell you that he was relieved.

I watched as we tucked him in that night. How proud was he? He carefully placed his tooth under the pillow along with a note to the tooth fairy.  I never did read that note. I wish I had.

Like other kids, Evan’s moments of dental history began to line up one after another. Each one was exciting. Each one with a cheer and congratulations from every family member.

Aiden Matthew was a bit of a late bloomer as far as his teeth were concerned. Being such an active kid, I was convinced he would knock out a tooth while playing before one would come out on its own. I was wrong. In 2016, we celebrated his first tooth coming out. In a style only fit for a kid like Aiden, a loose tooth was an opportunity to gross other people out. He wouldn’t miss a chance to flip it back and forth in front of his sister or show everyone how he could make it look crooked. He probably never wanted the thing to come out.

It was when Aiden’s second tooth came out in May of that same year that I should have noticed something. Do you know when you learn something, how you can easily retrace your events into specific defining moments? Aiden’s second tooth was one of those moments.

I was doing dishes after dinner. This meant that Nicole made dinner that night. We usually traded duties that way.

“Why do I want to write that?” Aiden asked. I wasn’t sure what they were talking about. It had already been a long day and I was focused on cleaning up and running to the store. I needed cash.

Fast forward to February 16^th, 2017. I had a business trip to Jacksonville. That night, Emma and I chatted over Skype.

“Look at how wiggly it is Daddy!” She said. “1-2-3,” she said and would pull. It only loosened it. I was afraid I was going to miss her first tooth coming out. Thankfully, I didn’t. 9 days later, we went over to have a quick dinner with Pop-Pop and Grandma at their house. After many attempts that night, Emma Grace’s very first tooth came out.

When we returned home, Nicole and Emma Grace sat down to write her very first tooth fairy letter. Just before Emma went to bed, I read her note:

Dear the Thoothfairy, 

We ate with Grandma and Pop-Pop. Then my mom said can I pull my thooth out. I said you can and then it came out. Thoothfairy, please can I keep my thooth?

Love, Emma Grace.

“Please, can I keep my thooth?” I read to myself. Why would she want to keep her tooth? What is she going to do with it? That night, as I lay in bed, this bothered me. If I wasn’t mistaken, I had heard the boys ask for the same thing, right? But why? Was it just my imagination? Eventually, I dozed off only to wake up abruptly at 3am.

It hit me. Is it possible that Nicole was saving these teeth? Was she collecting them one-by-one over the last 13 years of our children’s life? Why would someone do that? Was I crazy? Was she?

The next morning as the family left for school, I announced I was working from home. I carefully opened the drawer and there they were. I lined them up in disbelief as the hard enamels hit the top of the dresser. It was true. My wife was collecting teeth. The evidence was there. Then the thought hit me: When I’m old, will she collect mine?

Children, listen up.

For you creeping kids, the nosey kids, the ones who rummage through your parent’s items hidden in a dusty wooden drawer. You know who you are. Beware. You too may find an unexpected surprise. A box of teeth perhaps. A collection of hair tied with yarn. Maybe even, a black crusty umbilical cord. These are the things your mother keeps.

They were yours. But they’re hers now. 

 

 

Today I Go Bald. Gracefully.

Years ago I promised myself that I would age gracefully. I think that statement can mean a lot of things throughout life. Right now it means balding.

As I looked in the mirror on my wedding day I thought, “I’m glad Nicole is marrying me now before I lose all of this.” It was easy, even then, to see the thinning out.

That was almost 13 years ago. 

There is no real reason why I haven’t shaved my head yet. For a long time, I didn’t have the courage because, somehow, I had convinced myself that my aspiring position as a C-level corporate executive would not tolerate a man who didn’t have a full head of flowing hair. Seriously! Slowly, over the last two years, I began spot researching other executives who shaved their head and found that of the 27 male Chief Marketing Officers listed on the Business Insider’s list of most innovative CMO’s, 7 were bald (or shaved their head down to practically nothing). That’s 26%! A higher number than I was thinking and the stat built up my courage just a bit more.

Today, I honor my commitment to aging gracefully by shaving my head. I will post a before & after picture but until then, enjoy the short video below of a few guys who gained the courage to do the same.

 

Business Lessons From A Children’s Author

It was 2 a.m. My wife and I instantly and simultaneously woke up. We did not wake up due to a sound outside or the thought of leaving the stove on.

I believe it was God-given.

Immediately a story popped into my head. It was far more than an idea as it included a name, a story line and all the imagery to go with it. Unfortunately, for my wife, she woke up with heartburn. This is often how our life goes; I get an idea and she gets heartburn. Months later, I would finish interpreting this story and publish the first of what will be two children’s books in 2017.

Tinko, by Matt Waters (pen name), is a message and project that has taught me more than I could have asked or imagined. I’ve always held a strong belief that the lessons and practice of our personal lives can be directly applied to shaping the success of a business.

Here are 7 such lessons.

1.   SIMPLE MESSAGES TAKE TIME

I tell people that what separates good writing from excellent writing is about 25 drafts.

Painters are known for explaining how their art reveals itself to them over time. With each passing of the paintbrush there is an opportunity for more layers, more depth, maybe even a new character. In this way, writing is a form of painting. You begin with a simple idea, “I want to write a book about my family.” What you soon discover is a need to allow the story to develop. Or, you may need to allow yourself to do more of the right research. It is never as simple as just writing about your family. There are so many more layers to add if you allow them in. What’s the conflict in the story? What color were the houses on the street? What was playing on the radio? The pie cooking in the oven filled the room with what smell? Joey had a laugh that reminded you of whom?

So, while editing is a writer’s greatest tool, so is a bed. Sleep on it. Allow the story to unfold in your mind, then write it down. Then edit. Edit again. Edit again. Repeat.

2.   YOUR BIGGEST INVESTORS ARE YOUR FAMILY

As I picked up the brown box out of the back of our Dodge minivan, my five-year-old daughter, Emma Grace asked, “Daddy, what can I carry?”

We had just parked our van and walked through the small downtown filled with one-story businesses of antique sellers, a local appliance store and a small print shop. We were on our way to the very first reading of Tinko. Emma Grace had been speaking about this event for two weeks. Her offer to carry something was just the latest example of her excitement and involvement.

Each of our three kids had direct involvement in the creation of the book. My wife’s suggestions changed parts of the final product. My extended family was the first to show up to the reading. It has been overwhelming to see the investment my family has made–their time, encouragement and thoughts. It has been a poetic blend of work/life balance I had not seen before. My work and home values were perfectly aligned. And I know it only scratches the surface of what it could be.

How does this relate to business? Prior to the 1990’s there was an unsaid belief that work and family life was to be kept separate. Those lines have been grayed thanks to our our ‘always-connected’ culture. As the workforce becomes more remote, the trend is to bring work home or to spend at least one day working from home. If we understand that work comes home, isn’t it also true that ‘home’ (family and values) comes to work with us?

In the workforce, Generation X and Millennials have made it clear that the values of a business are important. Organizations are now careful to select employees with a drive for high ethical standards aligned with values listed on the company’s website like trust, respect, integrity and creativity.

While business values are put in place to benefit an organization, they are shaped by the foundation of our personal lives–at home.

Both ‘X-ers’ and Millennials desire to work at a place in which they can make a long-lasting impact. They want to make a difference. When they hear about a company’s values and they are a match, they expect a seat at the table or an opportunity to contribute. If they don’t find those, what happens next is simple–they leave.

Put plainly, there can’t be an authentic work family without the introduction to the home family. They are no longer mutually exclusive.

3.   FEWER WORDS, BIGGER MESSAGE

Tinko is a book about creation and purpose. Frankly, wrote it because I was concerned about children being told that they arrived here as some sort of accident and their only legacy was to leave Earth as dirt. Trust me, I have many things to say on the topic, but there is no need. Stay with me.

My aim in writing Tinko became very clear. It was to begin a dialogue in homes. I no longer needed to worry about writing in every angle or arguing every side. That’s why Tinko’s mantra became “Created with purpose!” It is on stickers, websites, social media–even the reviewers began repeating it. What more did I need to say?

The Challenge: Today, our social media celebrates loud, obnoxious, fast, convenient and comfortable. “Slow to speak, quick to listen,” is an art lost in today’s society. We read long-winded, ill-guided, one-way rants on all sorts of subject backed up with little wisdom or life experience. Our younger generations are becoming very good at talking and very poor at listening. The byproduct is the shutdown of self-induced, continuous personal improvement.

The Solution: Listening, discussing, and finding purpose can change this. Simple messaging makes it easier for these things to happen.

Businesses need to adopt simplistic messaging to stand out. I’m often surprised why many still feel the need to give you a dissertation on their products, services or who they are as a company. The right, simple message evokes a discussion. It is about creating an entry point for your business offering.

When everyone else is using so many words in a world that is always talking, break through the clutter by delivering a big message with few words.

Yes, it takes longer to carefully craft. After all, “Quality is easy!” said no one, ever.

4.   THEY ARE NOT BUYING YOUR PRODUCT, THEY ARE BUYING YOU

I am convinced that no one is buying Tinko because they are on a mission to buy a book. Instead, they are buying an opportunity to be part of Matt Waters Books.

Unconsciously, consumers want to be part of your company. Their purchase is their vote and are letting you know “Here we are. What will you do next?” They are buying a piece of the puzzle right now with the hope that you will one day have all of the pieces

Everyone is looking for that one ‘diamond in the rough’ partner who is on a journey to solve all of their problems. These consumers desire to be your loyalists. They want to have a reason to share their experience with their contacts, good or bad. They have high expectations. They also have ideas.

Focus on building for the long-term. One product or service purchase is just one vote. Gather together enough votes from the same person, family or business and you will find yourself with a lifelong partner cheering for your success.

5. STOP TRYING TO BE EVERYWHERE

There are over 200 well-known social media sites, endless advertising opportunities, millions of media outlets, websites, videos, blogs, radio and countless places a business can live. It’s tiring. Trying to be everywhere is certainly not a wise mission.

Instead, focus on the few that are potential buyers. Serve them well. Personalize your communication to them so they know you understand them and making the effort.

Not trying to be everywhere looks a lot like a small slice of a demographic. If you are a real estate agent, that means focusing on newlyweds. If you are a commercially-focused CPA, it means focusing on small businesses with revenue of $200k-$1m. If you are a multi-billion dollar light bulb company, this method still applies to you. Don’t panic about ‘What if’s.’ What if there is a really opportunity outside this group? Have a rule for addressing the outliers but keep the focus.

You’ll save money, save time and be more effective. You’ll also become a well-known all-star of your niche market.

6. HAVE A STORY

I’ve been preachy about this for years. As a marketing leader, it is a life-long mission of mine. Tell a story. It doesn’t have to be your own, but I would argue that you have plenty of them. Businesses are missing truly great storytellers and the world needs more of them. Stories are rooted in educational gold because they all contain a challenge, a message and a lesson. I bet you can’t say you received those three things in the last Power Point presentation you heard.

I’ve wondered why people are reluctant to tell stories and I have come to this sobering conclusion; a story makes you vulnerable. It is also risky. Again, don’t ‘what if’ yourself to death. What if you don’t deliver it well? What if the audience can’t identify with it? What if it isn’t funny like you think it is?

Many ‘what if’s’ exist but there are too many positives. What if you DO deliver it well? What if they DO identify with it? What if they DO think it is funny? Don’t take my word for it. Listen to a Ted Talk. See how they use stories and model your next speech after the Ted Talk outline.

7. COLLABORATION IS WORTH IT, EVERY TIME

My biggest mistake in creating Tinko was not letting my wife in on what I was doing earlier. It was for no other reason other than I didn’t want to bother her in this strange new hobby of mine. For all I knew, I would give up and never do anything with it.

I remember that her very first post about Tinko was a re-post of mine that I had made announcing the book. Her words were, “So… THIS is happening.”

While I wasn’t sure where this book thing was headed, I had forgotten a very simple lesson. Taking people along for any ride is important. It would have made it better and it would have been more fun. I was including my imaginative oldest son, Evan who was giving me marketing advice. That was fun! “Daddy, let’s make an App for Tinko, or a game!” he once told me. My other son Aiden, was my on the street promoter. Emma Grace, our youngest, offered her artistic advice on the illustrations. Still, I missed an opportunity to collaborate more with my wife….and others!

Collaboration is often missing in the business environment. Especially in organizations who are dramatically changing through mergers, growing pains and acquisitions. It is as if walls and silos are built during those times.

Yes, collaboration does takes time, effort and explanation. However, final product is always better. It is also how tomorrow’s leaders are discovered.

Matthew Gosselin is a husband, father to three, a corporate marketing leader and an industry author. Matthew also recently published his first of two children’s books in 2017 called ‘Tinko.’ (Pen name: Matt Waters)

Tinko can be found on Amazon and other global retailers. For more information, visit MattWatersBooks.com

Getting Ready for School

This is how we get ready for school.

 

These Campaign Promises Have Been True For Thousands of Years.

Placing your faith in what a person promises will fail you many times over in this life. This truth is fresh in our minds from presidential elections filled with campaign promises that will fall well short of expectations.

Empty promises can leave us hurt, confused, unprepared and frustrated. They damage relationships and leave us unsure about who to trust.

God knows this is a problem for us.

He even goes as far as telling us not to swear we  will do something.

“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”‭‭ (Matthew‬ ‭5:37‬)

After all, we are just a bunch of dustballs (Gen. 3:19), who knows if we will even be around to fulfill our promises? “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (‭‭James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

How is that for some sobering perspective? This is why we should say, ““If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”” (‭‭James‬ ‭4:15‬)

By contrast, God makes promises that he keeps. His people can count on these promises as truths that will come to pass. It is interesting to note that while grace and forgiveness are a free gift to all accept it, no one can earn their way to heaven, these promises ask for an action before the reward is given. Almost like, “If you do this, then you will get this.”

So what are they? Hint: They’re big! You may want to bookmark the ones listed below. The best news is they are available to anyone who chooses to put God first. (Romans 3:22)

 

PROMISES

1. He will always be there for you

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

2. He has a plan specifically for you!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

3. He will make you stronger

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41: 10

4. Troubles are guaranteed but through Christ we have peace

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

5. All that is good, is yours.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Psalm 34:10 

6. Evil will run from you

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

7. Know peace once and for all (You know you have been searching for it)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

8. Promised benefits

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Galatians 5:22

What is your response to God’s promises?

Why I’m Not Celebrating Halloween

Every few weeks, sometimes more often, we get together for a large family dinner. I love this. It’s something my wife and I had always wished for when we lived away in our earlier years.  It may just be dinner but we are celebrating something important; Family.

The truth is that when we do just about anything, we are celebrating. When we give someone a high five, we are celebrating success. When we share a hug, we are celebrating friendship and love. When we open presents on the 25th of December, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus.

I’ve never dressed up for Halloween in my life. It has simply been a choice of mine not to participate. While I don’t partake, my wife views it another way. Right, wrong or indifferent, it has always been our preference, not conviction.

I was surprised this year when my oldest son, Evan, told me he didn’t want to dress up for Halloween this year.  When I asked Evan why he didn’t want to go out this year he told me “I don’t want to celebrate it.” That word, ‘celebrate,’ was a very appropriate word to use. In the past, I haven’t communicated it in that way.

See, while it may be true that we are just “putting on costumes and passing out candy,” as many have told me, we are actually celebrating something. All Hallows’ Eve, Halloween, has a very clear history and was seen has a transition of the seasons and a “Bridge to the dead,” (History, 2009).

We are, in fact, celebrating the dead.

American culture has taken this even further with haunted houses in which you can watch people be killed and tortured and we have convinced ourselves it is just for fun. Somehow we are appalled about mass shootings but have dismissed the horrors of death, destruction and chaos so long as they are in an entertainment setting; as if the two had no impact on outcomes of young minds.

Yes, we are indeed celebrating something or someone perhaps. For me, I have chosen to celebrate the One who brings love and life to anyone who wants to accept his grace. It’s something to consider.

This is not a judgment on anyone who chooses to spend the night out and about on October 31. Oddly enough you will see me at the end of the driveway with a bowl of candy. It further proves my historic conflict of beliefs vs. accommodations of other’s beliefs.

I know I will battle this again next year but as for this year,  I am really looking forward to setting out one more chair next to me.

Sources:

History Channel Staff. (2009). History of Halloween. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

DesignBolts.com. (n.d.). Halloween Background [Digital image]. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://www.designbolts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Halloween-2013-Scary-Background1.jpg

There is Something Great Ahead of You.

“You have amazing things ahead of you!”

These were the words spoken to me many years ago. Not just from one person but many. They all said it in their own way and they all said at different times. The baseball coach, basketball coach, the English teacher, the history teacher, the mom, the dad, the swim team coach, the pastor and even friends! I can’t get over how many people have spoken into my life and still do to this day.

When is the last time you looked at someone into their eyes and said, “You have amazing things ahead of you!?” Isn’t it up to us to shine a light on their path to make that possible? Shouldn’t we be hopeful for the future by knowing we have a part to play in it?

Hey, the future of our country and children do not rest solely on them. It’s up to us to plant the seed that will one day grow into something more than we could ever ask or imagine.

 

An Open Letter to Mike Rowe. Let’s tear up the white and blue collars and start over.

Dear Mike Rowe,

You don’t know me and I know you. That’s ok, I won’t hold that against you. Nor would you hold that against me. Maybe that is what makes us alike. In fact, when I look at what I do and what you have done, maybe we aren’t far apart as some want us to believe. You see, society wants us to believe that a senior marketing professional and a ‘dirty jobs’ resume represent a great divide possibly as large as the Grand Canyon itself.

I don’t buy it.

The root of these two tracks may begin differently but the success of those who travel both provide an insight into what makes them successful. Passion, knowledge, poise, swagger, inspiration and humility…to name a few. I have seen these characteristics from my humble upbringing in a small city in Vermont all the way to the financial districts of Tokyo. As a result, I appreciate the man slinging trash from our bin as much as I appreciate the young professional writing the 29th press release of the week when it is just Tuesday.

In an ode to dirty professions let us both declare that there are many dirty professionals in which society wants to make a hierarchy of, yet, we know better. Pouring over data can be burdensome and tiring and so can  sifting over hours of unknown recyclables and discarded items forgotten by the many and revisited by the few.

No, I won’t accept that dirty jobs are somehow divided by the color of the collar. White OR Blue. Instead, let’s recognize that the jobs no one else wants to do and the successful measure we weigh them by is about the same common ingredients. Passion, knowledge, poise, swagger, inspiration and humility…again…to name a few.

I love what I do and so should everyone else. I am thankful for the many that help to make my life work in the way it does. There are so many I don’t know; from the person who sprints among the homes reading my electrical meter to the woman who decides that it is time for my taxes to have their audit. These are not people we necessarily hope for, yet, they are people that make our lives turn for the better.

Mike Rowe, thanks for making clarity and purpose out of roles we often dismiss. We appreciate your stories that acknowledge these people. We appreciate you elevating our own, seemingly, meaningless tasks in a world that only reward those on TV. I am glad we acknowledge those who make a difference and serve a purpose.

Keep it up Mike.

~matt gosselin, a purposeful marketing professional

Your Direction, Your Story.

According to Nike+ the life of my current running shoes is just about over. On a recent run along a beautiful bike path in Florida, I noticed a harder-than-usual impact on my feet. Thanks to Steve Jobs and the folks at Nike, this is the first time in my life that I have been able to source my shoes’ mileage. My app showed them clocking in at just under 400 miles.

As I ran, I began thinking about the great number of stories these shoes could tell.  They would speak of half marathons, the Disney Marathon and unforgettable landscapes in Hawaii and Colorado. They would remember the treadmill on the 28th floor overlooking the Miami cityscape. They would reminisce of sand crabs running back into their holes on a dirt-packed trail in Vero Beach, FL.

Yes, shoes tell great stories.

• The sturdy Keds shoes of Grandma Gatewood are on display at the Appalachian Trail Museum telling the story of her 2,170 journey becoming the first woman to thru-hike the famous trail at the young age of 67.
• It is estimated that the sandals of Jesus walked over 20,000 miles during his lifetime (from the ages 4-33).
• A new pair of shoes are crowned king as the smelliest shoes in America in a Rotten Sneakers Contest, a contest that began in 1975 in Montpelier, Vermont. The shoes are owned by kids 13 years-old and younger and the winners often reveal amazing stories about their journeys in their tattered and rotten shoes.
• The famous red ruby slippers that can be seen at the National Museum of American History of Washington D.C. These shoes represent much more than the Wizard of Oz film. They speak of a journey in search of finding your heart’s desire only to discover that you don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

What would happen if we envisioned what stories our next shoes would tell next? After all, Jesus knew where his sandals were going and Grandma Gatewood was ready to hit the trail before she laced up her Keds. What if I determined where my shoes would take me instead of strapping them on and seeing where they led?

This is your season. Choose your direction and run.

Plant. Water. Grow.

We are co-workers in God’s field each with but one purpose.

One plants the seed. One waters it.

God makes it grow. (1 Cor. 3:7)

There is beauty in understanding that we serve a great purpose in God’s kingdom.  As I read through 1 Corinthians I thought of the small garden boxes we built in our backyard. I made each of the 4-foot boxes out of cedar boards, filled them with soil and each season our family decides what we are going to grow. Occasionally our 5-year-old, Emma Grace, uses a small tin can to help me water them. Aiden and Evan will help to pull weeds.

We are still learning. We tried growing corn and cucumbers with minimal results. Our carrots and any herbs we plant not only thrive but we get great use out of them. Since we began doing this four years ago we have both success and loss. Yet, there is still a sense of accomplishment in it. There is a sense of purpose that compels us to plant the following season.

A farmer I am not, but any farmer will tell you that it takes faith to plant, water and wait. It takes spiritual wisdom to understand that while grains of dirt become stuck under the beds of our fingernails, it is our Creator that makes it grow. We are reminded in Genesis 2 that at one time no plant had sprung up on earth because God had not sent rain to the earth. Once he created Adam,  God planted the great Garden of Eden and the great partnership began.

There are times in my career life when I have been planting and watering and have had great joy in doing so. There have been seasons when the planting and watering simply felt like, well,  just work. Then, there is waiting. Waiting for God to make it grow. This is not only the season I am currently in but its characteristics–patience and faith–need the most growth. In this realization, I have joy in knowing that I am exactly where I need to be.

Many are in this same season right now. We are faced with two choices. We can choose to listen to the world and its direction for us. The world will tell us that we aren’t good enough, we are failing, we aren’t loved and supported. The world will give us reasons to doubt and to show anger in place of love and forgiveness. We are not perfect, so we will experience times of doubt, temptation and loss of purpose. However, I don’t serve a god of doubt, temptation and loss of purpose.

I serve a God of love, hope and purpose so that in Him, we do not have to “grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)  I will choose a path of greater spiritual gain. This path produces perseverance, character and hope. Let our purpose and faith in God guide us into our next season.

Lord, let us find purpose and faith as you guide us into our next season.

 

Further Reading:

• Genesis 2:4
• Isaiah 61:3
• 1 Corinthians 3:7
• Galatians 6:9
• Romans 5:3

#grow #purpose #purposedrivenlife #donotgrowweary #beautyfromashes #transition #transformation