Experience Grace

I left work early so I could have some uninterrupted study time right before the final in my Youth Issues class. When I got to class, everybody was doing their last-minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test. We went through the review, most of it right on the study guide, but there were some things he was reviewing that I had never heard of. When questioned about it, he said that they were in the book and we were responsible for everything in the book. We couldn’t really argue with that.

Finally, it was time to take the test.

“Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one and I’ll tell you to start,” our professor instructed.

When we turned them over, every answer on the test was filled in! The bottom of the last page said the following:

“This is the end of the Final Exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an ‘A’ on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced…grAce.”

He then went around the room and asked each student individually, “What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all your studying for this exam help you achieve your final grade?”

Now I am not a crier by any stretch of the imagination, but I had to fight back tears when answering those questions and thinking about how the Creator has passed the test for me.

Discussion afterwards went like this: “I have tried to teach you all semester that you are a recipient of grace. I’ve tried to communicate to you that you need to demonstrate this gift as you work with young people.

Don’t hammer them; they are not the enemy. Help them, for they will carry on your ministry if it is full of GRACE!”

Talking about how some of us had probably studied hours and some just a few minutes but had all received the same grade, he pointed to a story Jesus told in Matthew 20. The owner of a vineyard hired people to work in his field and agreed to pay them a certain amount. Several different times during the day, he hired more workers. When it was time to pay them, they all received the same amount. When the ones who had been hired first thing in the morning began complaining, the boss said, “Should you be angry because I am kind?” (Matthew 20:15).

The teacher said he had never done this kind of final before and probably would never do it again, but because of the content of many of our class discussions, he felt like we needed to experience grace.

Have you thanked your Creator today because of the grace you have experienced?

— Author Unknown

Meditation: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

How to Become a Better Professional

 

Professionalism is a desirable attribute that almost everybody would love to be labelled with. And for good reason – being professional has its perks.

In fact, it is almost crucial to your success as a businessperson.

If you work on yourself and exhibit professionalism, marketing becomes easy. People will look for you, not you looking for them. It’s as simple as that.

My organisation, TRW Consult, has done quite a lot of work in the past, and honestly, 95 per cent of our clients have come through referrals. Not by marketing, calls, et cetera, but by people who recognise that these people are professionals in their field.

That is why we prize professionalism dearly. It brings many favourable opportunities our way.

When people see you as a professional, they’ll come right to your doorstep.

Take the story of King Solomon for instance – a great, renowned man of wisdom who was visited by multiple dignitaries eager to learn from him, including fellow monarchs. Not less the Queen of Sheba. What is wisdom but the application of knowledge – knowledge of life views? If you have the wisdom to solve problems in life, then people will look for you.

But you have to work on yourself.

So in this article, we’ll look at exactly what you need to do to become a better professional.

 

Definition of Professionalism

What exactly is professionalism?

Oxford Reference defines it as

“the combination of qualities and conduct regarded as essential to professional practice. These include knowledge, skills, relevant competence, behavioural qualities, and values of honesty, integrity, ethical probity, and capability of working well with patients or clients, colleagues, and representatives of the public.”

The Oxford Learners’ Dictionary on its own part calls it

“the high standard that you expect from a person who is well trained in a particular job”

To the Cambridge Dictionary, it is

“the combination of all the qualities that are connected with trained and skilled people”

Your professionalism brings you prestige. It is a way to place yourself on a pedestal that makes you visible. Getting up there, however, actually requires conscious effort on your own part.

 

How to Be a Better Professional

I have grouped what you need to do into two, which I’ll call intrinsic and extrinsic factors (or to-dos).

 

Intrinsic Factors

Personal bearing

Your personal bearing includes your thoughtfulness. How much thought do you apply into what you do?

If you think things through, you make life easier both for yourself and others. If you don’t, you make life tougher. Thinking things through allows you to organise yourself better.

So, to start the journey towards becoming a better professional you must first ask yourself: How much thought do I put into my work and to myself?

You’re called a writer, an editor, a social media specialist, an accountant, et cetera. But how much thought do you apply to that calling? How often do you sit and plan yourself adequately? When you rush into things recklessly and without calculation, you leave a lot half-done – or end up wasting so much time without actually gaining meaningful ground.

Thoughtfulness also helps you prioritise your activities. You are able to plan yourself and have a schedule - perhaps on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, or even for the year.

When you do so, you are able to achieve more.

Once you can prioritise and adhere strictly to it, that’s time management. Time management and optimisation is a useful tool for any professional.

Personal carriage

How do you dress? When people see you, will they think you are dressed like a professional?

There’s a way accountants look, for instance. You are often able to see them and say, “This is an accountant.”

Your personal carriage matters because people tend to profile you with a single glance, particularly when they are meeting you for the first time. And that profiling often influences the rest of their relationship with you.

Besides your dressing, how do you comport yourself?

What can people observe from the way you speak - both in public and privately?

These are things that define you, that allow people to categorise you.

Additionally, you must be self-aware if you are to be termed a professional. You need to ask yourself key questions about your own behaviour. If you are a writer, do you speak or act like a writer? What are the things you do or don’t do that writers should or shouldn’t be doing? If you are an accountant, do you talk and think like an accountant?

Personal grooming also comes in. Do you have body odour, for instance? Are you aware of whether you have body odour or not? Some, due to the nature of their work, end up wearing the same set of clothes for days. It would be awful if you were meeting a client, and then the first thing they’d perceive is the unpleasant smell oozing from your clothes.

Personal conduct at work

What is your conduct like at your workplace? How do you relate with your clients or colleagues? When people see you, does it tally with what you claim to be?

You need to be able to answer these questions positively. And if you cannot, then you know what to start working on.

Moreover, what kinds of things do you post on social media? Does your posting emphasise your professionalism or water it down?

Your personal conduct at work also relates to how you approach tasks. To be a better professional, you must be resourceful.

When faced with a task, you need to examine and study all possible options rather than just pick one and not give a thought to the others. That certainly doesn’t help you grow – as an individual or as a professional.

When you consider other options you are able to gain knowledge from various aspects, and when you speak, people consider you experienced and capable at what you do.

You equally need to structure yourself, so that you will not work based on feelings. As humans, we are feeling beings, and at some point some people take a look at a piece of work, put it down and say “No, I don’t feel like doing this.”

You need to be able to perform that task despite your feelings to the contrary, by virtue of it having been fitted into your timetable. You need to structure it into your own psyche that tasks of that nature need to be accomplished, and that there is no point in pushing them away simply because you do not feel like doing them.

You will not always feel like working, but understanding that work is meant to be done and structuring yourself accordingly will make you come across as a professional.

If you are a feeling worker, you are not a professional. But if you are structured in the way you work, then that is tilting towards professionalism.

So, ask yourself: Do you stop working at times simply because you don’t feel like it? Or do you approach work in a structured manner?

If you have superiors at your workplace, what do they think about how you work? Are you a superior’s delight or a superior’s nightmare?

Are you the type who often sees work and prays it doesn’t come to your table? Or are you the type who understands that work is necessary and so rises up to the challenge?

Extrinsic Factors

The extrinsic factors include the values that stem from the people around you or from your workplace environment.

What is the ethos of your workplace? Every workplace, office or organisation has its own values, philosophies and ideals. How much do you know of these values of your existing organisation? And what are your own values as a person in business?

How much do you comply with them and what is the level of your compliance?

As a professional in your field, you need to be identifiable as a person of proper conduct as well as capacity.

The Journey is Yours to Make

These are steps you have to take by yourself. You are not forced to become nor are you made a professional. It is a process you have to undergo by yourself with your eagerness to thrive as your only motivator.

You go through the process by structuring yourself accordingly. No one will take you by the hand and walk you there.

Plus, it is a ladder and you have to take it rung by rung. Like a school exam, you have to do well in a particular stage before you are certified to advance to the next.

And of course the higher you go the greater the challenges.

You are your own manager.

Distractions Take You Further From Your Goals

 

Whatever is not taking you closer to your goal, but only takes you away or farther from it, is a distraction.

The True Test

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. – 2 Corinthians 13:5

When asked to define knowledge, someone said, “Knowledge is not what you can remember but what you cannot forget.” Another person responded, “Knowledge is what you can remember after you have forgotten what you have been taught.” These may sound paradoxical, but they ring true. That a student answers questions in a class does not mean he has a good knowledge of the subject. The teacher uses a test or an examination to judge him.

In the same vein, the true test of faith is not when everything around you is all roses and no thorns, but rather when challenges of life are staring you in the eyes and literally telling you ‘God’s word may not be true.’ Moreover, that God gave a word does not mean it will come to fulfilment unchallenged. He said He had made Abraham the father of many nations but Abraham still had to believe so he might become the father of many nations, which God had already made him (Romans 4:17-18).

Being Christians is not proved by how much of scriptures we can quote – which, of course, is not bad in itself – but how much we love other believers (John 13:35); how we accept those of different doctrines from ours and love our unbelieving neighbours.

Your readiness to give is not truly tested when you have $1,000 and you can offer $50 to someone in need. Of course, you have done well; but when all you have is $5 and you are willing to split that into two in order to give someone in need is when the depth of your love can be measured.

Adversities remain the true test of our inner strength. That is why ‘if you faint in the days of adversity, your strength is small’ (Proverbs 24:10)! So, let’s not go about with the theories of faith, character, knowledge, patience, etc. We earn God’s approval and the respect of others when we put them into practice. To do the right thing will always be tasking, but the reward is more than sure.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Make Your Workdays Count

You need to make your workdays productive and result-oriented.

Blessings We May Not Recognise

Here are some blessings we may be taking for granted:

1. If you own a Bible, you are abundantly blessed – about 1/3 of the world does not have access to one.

2. If you wake up each morning with more health than illness, you are blessed to rise and shine, to live and to serve in a new day.

3. If you have anyone on the planet, just one person that loves you and listens to you; count this as a blessing.

4. If you can freely attend a church meeting without fear, then you are more blessed than over 1/3 of the world.

5. If you have a yearning in your heart to parent a child, you are blessed because you still desire what you cannot see.

6. If you pray today or any day, you are blessed because you believe in God’s willingness to hear your prayer.

7. If you pray for someone else, you are blessed because you want to help others also.

8. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep; all at the same time; you are rich in this world;

9. If you have a brother or sister in Christ that will pray with you and for you, you benefit from a spiritual unity, bond and agreement, which the gates of hell cannot stand against.

10. If you have any earthly family that even halfway loves you and supports you, you are blessed beyond measure.

11. If you attend a church with a church family that offers you one word of encouragement, you are blessed with some form of fellowship.

12. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, or some spare change in a dish someplace you are among the world’s wealthy.

13. If you can go to bed each night, knowing that God loves you, you are blessed beyond measure.

14. If you try each day to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ for even a minute, you are blessed because you show a willingness to grow up in Him.

15. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than about 1/3 of the world who cannot read at all.

16. If you have never had to endure the hardship and agony battle, imprisonment, or torture, you are blessed in indescribable measure.

17. If you have a voice to sing His praises, a voice to witness God’s love, and a voice to share the gospel, you are blessed. About 1/3 of the world do not even know who the one true God is.

18. If you can hold someone’s hand, hug another person, touch someone on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.

19. If you can share a word of encouragement with someone else, and do it with His love in your heart, you are blessed because you have learned how to give.

20. If you have the conviction to stand fast upon His Word and His promises, no matter what, you are blessed because you are learning patience, endurance, and tenacity.

21. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because most people can, but many will not.

May God Bless You And Keep You Safe.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. – Philippians 3:7

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

One Act of Kindness

 

One act of kindness that befell British writer Bernard Hare in 1982 changed him profoundly. Then a student living just north of London, he tells the story to inspire troubled young people to help deal with their disrupted lives.

The police called at my student hovel early evening, but I didn’t answer as I thought they’d come to evict me. I hadn’t paid my rent in months. But then I got to thinking: my mum hadn’t been too good and what if it was something about her?

We had no phone in the hovel and mobiles hadn’t been invented yet, so I had to nip down the phone box.

I rang home to Leeds to find my mother was in hospital and not expected to survive the night. “Get home, son,” my dad said.

I got to the railway station to find I’d missed the last train. A train was going as far as Peterborough, but I would miss the connecting Leeds train by twenty minutes.

I bought a ticket home and got on anyway. I was a struggling student and didn’t have the money for a taxi the whole way, but I had a screwdriver in my pocket and my bunch of skeleton keys.

I was so desperate to get home that I planned to nick a car in Peterborough, hitchhike, steal some money, something, anything. I just knew from my dad’s tone of voice that my mother was going to die that night and I intended to get home if it killed me.

“Tickets, please,” I heard, as I stared blankly out of the window at the passing darkness. I fumbled for my ticket and gave it to the guard when he approached. He stamped it, but then just stood there looking at me. I’d been crying, had red eyes and must have looked a fright.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Course I’m okay,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be? And what’s it got to do with you in any case?”

“You look awful,” he said. “Is there anything I can do?”

“You could get lost and mind your own business,” I said. “That’d be a big help.” I wasn’t in the mood for talking.

He was only a little bloke and he must have read the danger signals in my body language and tone of voice, but he sat down opposite me anyway and continued to engage me.

“If there’s a problem, I’m here to help. That’s what I’m paid for.”

I was a big bloke in my prime, so I thought for a second about physically sending him on his way, but somehow it didn’t seem appropriate. He wasn’t really doing much wrong. I was going through all the stages of grief at once: denial, anger, guilt, withdrawal, everything but acceptance. I was a bubbling cauldron of emotion and he had placed himself in my line of fire.

The only other thing I could think of to get rid of him was to tell him my story.

“Look, my mum’s in hospital, dying, she won’t survive the night, I’m going to miss the connection to Leeds at Peterborough, I’m not sure how I’m going to get home.

“It’s tonight or never, I won’t get another chance, I’m a bit upset, I don’t really feel like talking, I’d be grateful if you’d leave me alone. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said, finally getting up. “Sorry to hear that, son. I’ll leave you alone then. Hope you make it home in time.” Then he wandered off down the carriage back the way he came.

I continued to look out of the window at the dark. Ten minutes later, he was back at the side of my table. Oh no, I thought, here we go again. This time I really am going to rag him down the train.

He touched my arm. “Listen, when we get to Peterborough, shoot straight over to Platform One as quick as you like. The Leeds train’ll be there.”

I looked at him dumbfounded. It wasn’t really registering. “Come again,” I said, stupidly. “What do you mean? Is it late, or something?”

“No, it isn’t late,” he said, defensively, as if he really cared whether trains were late or not. “No, I’ve just radioed Peterborough. They’re going to hold the train up for you. As soon as you get on, it goes.

“Everyone will be complaining about how late it is, but let’s not worry about that on this occasion. You’ll get home and that’s the main thing. Good luck and God bless.”

Then he was off down the train again. “Tickets, please. Any more tickets now?”

I suddenly realised what a top-class, fully-fledged ‘doilem’ I was and chased him down the train. I wanted to give him all the money from my wallet, my driver’s licence, my keys, but I knew he would be offended.

I caught him up and grabbed his arm. “Oh, er, I just wanted to…” I was suddenly speechless. “I, erm…”

“It’s okay,” he said. “Not a problem.” He had a warm smile on his face and true compassion in his eyes. He was a good man for its own sake and required nothing in return.

“I wish I had some way to thank you,” I said. “I appreciate what you’ve done.”

“Not a problem,” he said again. “If you feel the need to thank me, the next time you see someone in trouble, you help them out. That will pay me back amply.

“Tell them to pay you back the same way and soon the world will be a better place.”

I was at my mother’s side when she died in the early hours of the morning. Even now, I can’t think of her without remembering the good conductor on that late-night train to Peterborough and, to this day, I won’t hear a bad word said about British Rail.

My meeting with the good conductor changed me from a selfish, potentially violent hedonist into a decent human being, but it took time.

“I’ve paid him back a thousand times since then,” I tell the young people I work with, “and I’ll keep on doing so till the day I die. You don’t owe me nothing. Nothing at all.”

“And if you think you do, I’d give you the same advice the good conductor gave me. Pass it down the line.”

— Author Unknown

Meditation: “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” – Luke 6:32-33

You will succeed in Jesus Name!