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For Kenny Lane, the natural outcome of his action could have been disaster. And for most businessmen it would have represented a great risk-especially for those who are accustomed to controlling every detail. That's why I call this story "EXPECTING FAILURE?" Kenny Lane was faced with an impossibility. His contracting business had grown to the point that he would have to hire someone to take over a key responsibility that only he could manage. Contracting is a complicated business, requiring a variety of skills. Since a whole range of professions are involved in any project, a contractor must be able to bring them together, to interlace their abilities and contributions. Without being immodest, he acknowledged that he was one of the worlds leading experts in project start-up. Through 37 years of contracting he'd honed the skill of orchestrating people to a fine art. No one, he thought, could take his place. At least he'd never met anyone who could. To loose that skill would mean failure. Delegating it could seriously harm, or even destroy Kenny's business. Coupled to that were the miracles that often enhanced his efforts. Take the time he'd been handed a huge job without competing for it. Or a week later when he got a next-day appointment with the architect to find out later that no one gets in to see the man. Kenny can tell you how these things happen but passing it along-impossible. The growth of his business was primarily the byproduct of Kenny's great talent. It grew and grew until poor Kenny could not find the time to manage it all. He tried to delegate large portions of responsibility to others, but, as he knew they would, they eventually quit-couldn't handle the pressure. Kenny was getting just what he expected: incompetence, proof that it really was all up to him, that he was the leading expert. "So how is it possible," He whispered, looking over the city, thinking of contractors much bigger than himself. "How is it that they handle so much? Do they have the same skills as I, or have they found people I've never seen?" He wondered why, if he were so good, how come they were so prominent. At least he realized that most of what he couldn't teach came from the fountain of grace and wisdom. He knew where all the miracles were coming from. They were answers to prayer. He decided to pray about his impossibility. That decision blended with what he'd known would be his destiny from birth. At age 26, when he started the business, he was closer to fulfillment than now, at age 62. Successful as he was, he knew his business was interfering with that vision. Kenny knew that the answer to that prayer might be costly, involving a long training period and loss of prestige as a new-hire got up to speed. It was a prayer of both faith and courage. Did God hear his prayer? He had an employee named Dan. Dan was a good worker, smart and God loving. He'd been working for Kenny for 6 months. God spoke irresistibly into Kenny's mind and heart to turn his greatest skill over to Dan. It was not a logical thing to do. Dan was inexperienced and young. He just didn't have the personal bearing and street knowledge. But as Kenny watched him, he knew that God's grace would intervene in the short-falls. Kenny called Dan into his office one morning and gave him God's promotion. Kenny reports, with a voice full of gratitude that Dan is doing a better job than he could and is a totally dedicated employee, full of that familiar Godly wisdom that Kenny had followed for many years. The tension and frustration, the overload and clamor of unfinished tasks, has completely lifted. The business is doing more work than ever. Moreover, God continues to send great people to manage other functions of the company. Kenny is free now to work in the facet of the business God called him to 62 years ago. Did God hear his prayer? Were the anticipated losses only faithlessness? Kenny expected failure if he handed over the rudder; this time he handed it to God first. ***** The neat thing about this story is that when Kenny decided to trust God, his employee benefitted. And I understand this story meant a great deal to that employee, because he wasn't even that much of a Christian but discovered that God was his helper as well. Wouldn't it be great to see things as God sees them? Greater still is knowing Him as our gracious Father. When we do, we exercise faith; we express love. That expression is part of an exciting and comforting relationship. Acknowledging that relationship made Kenny appeal to God and trust His love. His bond with God was unspeakably sweeter than the ability to see all things; It was more valuable than his business. Kenny knew that regardless of the outcome his relationship would live, and the end of the matter would be to his benefit, regardless of how it might appear. I often say, "God doesn't work in a closet." When He gets involved on the level of the conspicuous, many people are likely to benefit. Hopefully you or someone you know, possibly a pastor, will be included in the list of beneficiaries of your own testimony. That's why written testimonies are so important. Just so you may know how important your testimony is, I've written a little book, WHY WRITE YOUR TESTIMONY. |
