The Jen Young

“It’s not fair!”   Who do you picture saying this?  I know my first thought is of a child; probably one who isn’t getting their way and is fussing about it.

I most recently heard this out of the mouth of an adult.  Incidentally, it was also one who wasn’t getting their way and was fussing about it….

As our culture has been shifting away from a biblical world view for some time, there are some principles that are being lost, redefined and perverted.  I’ve noticed that “fairness” is one of them.

The concept of “fair” or “just” has been replaced with “entitled” and “equal.”  But if you take a  biblical look at it, “fair” does not necessarily mean “equal.”   Often what is decried as “unfair” really isn’t “unfair” or “unjust.”  But somehow this generation has been trained to expect that they should receive an equal share in privileges and benefits without any of the costs, and with disregard to any agreements or contracts that were in place.

Shall we mess the culture’s view of “fair” a bit?  Let’s look at Matthew 20, for example.

In Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard.  The Readers’ Digest version is this:

An owner hires some workers at the beginning of the day who agreed to work for 100  bucks a day.  (Well, a denarius, but we’ll say $100.)   He kept hiring additional people throughout the day, so at the end of the day there were people who worked all day, and people who only worked an hour.

When the owner handed out paychecks, he paid the people who were hired last and worked the least $100 for the day -  the same as those who were hired first and worked the whole day.

But, it’s not fair!  Right?   Or, is it?  Those hired first agreed to work for $100 per day, and they were paid $100 per day.  Where is the “unfairness” of being paid exactly what was agreed?   Was the pay “equal” to everyone based on their work?  No.  Were the first workers “entitled” to more because they worked more?  No.  They agreed to work for $100, and the Bible says it was “fair” that they were paid what they agreed.

This may not be one of the nice, happy parables that gets preached on regularly, but it is truth.  The next time we think something is “unfair,” we need to really stop and evaluate:  Is it really “unfair,” or is it exactly what we agreed, but we just think we should be entitled to  more?

I have been part of the hiring process of new employees at our company for some time.  In one instance, we were preparing to hire someone who would be my subordinate, but we were proposing would be paid more than me.   The owners were a little concerned at how I might take this.  I assured them that I agreed to work for my current pay, and what anyone else gets paid does not change what I agreed to work for.  I appreciated the owners’ concern, but the new person was worth the increased wage, and I had no right to think I should be paid more because someone else was.

The world might say this was unfair, but it was genuinely settled in my heart that it was fair and just to receive what I agreed.  I had no resentment toward the new person or their pay, and I enjoy a great working relationship with everyone involved to this day.  Things could have gone very differently if I didn’t have a biblical view of “fair” in this instance.

Truth can mess you up, but if you let it get in you, truth with set you free.

What truth messes with you?  More importantly, what truth messed with you until it set you free?

Or, “We’re Gonna Need a Shovel in Here!”

[I am so fortunate to work in an openly and unashamedly Christian company in the business world.   There is always lots of prayer and "hallelujahs!" amidst the very hard work and professionalism.  Our staff meetings often feel more like church services than business meetings.  Because of this, when we are delivering encouragement, direction or even correction to the staff, we are completely free to do so from a Biblical point of view.

This is what I shared at our staff meeting last week.   Only in our office could I give a talk about poop, complete with scripture references!]

Proverbs 14:4 “Where there are no oxen, the stalls are clean, but from the strength of the oxen comes abundant harvest.”

Loosely interpreted, this means:  If you’re going to have great harvest coming in, you’re going to have to shovel some poop!

The Israelites were largely an agrarian society, meaning most of their livelihood and survival centered around crops and livestock.  While I’ve heard this verse and principle applied many times to ministry, churches and even families, this was first and foremost a parable about business!   If you wanted the ability to sow, plow and reap great crops to live on and make a profit, you needed oxen.  And where there are oxen, there will be manure.

Things stay nice and neat and mess-free when you aren’t producing anything.  But if you are going to have a lot of growth, production,  profit and harvest going on in your business, you’re going to have some messes along the way.   That’s just the nature of things.

Rather than doing everything you can to avoid problems, it is important we know how to properly deal with some stinky situations when they come our way.  What should you do when you’ve got some poop to clean up??

1)  KEEP PERSPECTIVE – If you’ve got some messes to clean up, take heart!  It means you’ve actually got something going on, and the potential to bring in a harvest at some point!  If it’s quiet and clean, that’s when you should be nervous!

Granted, in a business we don’t want to be fixing the same problem over and over again, but as you grow and increase, some messes are going to occur.  New systems may need to be implemented.  Procedures will have to be tweaked as you go.  Additional training may be needed, and likely some apologizing will be needed, too.

If you’ve got some poop to shovel, don’t get so upset about the mess that you kill the cow!  You might feel good eating steak for a week or two, but you’ll lose out on the greater harvest if you cut off that which is going to ultimately be very productive!

2)  DON’T GET MAD AT THE PERSON WITH THE SHOVEL –  Oxen can be temperamental, and they will kick!  If you are the one has a pile of poop in your office, and you or someone else has to step in to do some clean-up (co-worker, manager or boss), don’t get all mad and kick at the one with the shovel!

Messes have to be cleaned up.  If barns were never cleaned, the animals  get stressed and sick, filth begins to contaminate everything, and eventually there isn’t any room left to function.  Production suffers, and eventually ceases.

Keep a flexible attitude and learn to adjust if procedures have to change.  Grab a shovel when necessary, or be willing to graciously step out of the way if someone else needs to do some clean up in your area.  It is for a longer term goal we have a good attitude about dealing with some poop in the here and now.

3)  WHAT CAN YOU GROW FROM YOUR POOP? –  Don’t forget:  manure is a fertilizer!  As unpleasant as the shoveling process might be, a good farmer doesn’t waste a truck full of manure.  He takes it out into the field and spreads it around so he can produce an even greater harvest!

Every pile of crap you encounter is an opportunity.  Just because you had a mess, don’t waste the opportunity to benefit from it.  When you’re cleaning up a mess, consider how you can apply the lesson on a broader scale and benefit in other areas!  Don’t just focus on getting rid of the poop, because the very thing that you have to clean up could become the key to an even greater harvest!

Have you had to deal with any messes in your company lately?  What did you learn?