Businesses depend on data and analytics to survive. Additionally, businesses around the world have certain standards that must be adhered to when it comes to financial reporting. Without standards, a business could report in such a way as to make it look like it is performing better than it actually is.
One of my work team members and I were discussing internal reporting and learned that some of our business units wanted to be measured differently than our internal standards. Why? Because the standard made them look bad. Their invented formula would make them look better.
My colleague summarized this very cleverly with a metaphor: “If you look into the mirror and you don’t like what you see, you can’t just change the mirror.”
As I was reading today’s verses (Luke 12:1-21), I continued further into the chapter to perhaps get some better insights for today’s post. The Message version hit me:
“Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? (Luke 12:25 MSG)
That verse was really talking about worry and that worry doesn’t do anyone any good. What the verse did for me was remind me of my colleague and it convicted me of the earlier verses in the chapter such as verse 9 as Jesus says:
but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:9)
Does my colleague know that I am a Christ-follower? Even though I do not deny Jesus verbally, if I am somehow concealing my relationship with Christ in any way, aren’t I inherently denying him?
To make matters worse, I confess to being a hypocrite around this person.
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1b)
The enemy wants us to feel defeated and give up when we are convicted of our sins. Jesus wants us to seek forgiveness, to take action and trust him. The daily battle. This spiritual feeding, honest conviction and repentance led me to a place where in the very next conversation with my colleague I simply shared what I read from the Bible (about the mirror) and how it reminded me of what he said. Now the door is open, Jesus is my friend, Lord and Savior.
Everything in our lives ties together as part of a bigger story, all pointing to the best story, salvation through Jesus. Seize the day!