May 8. Give It Up, Lay It Down, Or Leave It Behind!

Does your company have a product or service that does not fit? The products and services of an enterprise need to be a right fit to provide maximum value to others. A right fit is a seemingly natural extension of your "why.” They need to be something that fit your personnel as well.

If they do not fit your personnel, then you wind up having people selling and supporting something of which the value proposition will be significantly underdeveloped. Think of a trained preschool teacher being lead administrator of a nuclear a nuclear power plant.

Or think of a trained veterinarian roaming the facility as the sanitation department worker. These trained people have a skill set that is valuable, but they are being deployed ineffectively. The nuclear power plant is not going to operate to its peak efficiency.

So, what do you do when you have something that is not a right fit? You cannot necessarily make it fit if it is not part of your value proposition. Maybe we start with the value proposition and make sure that it is a part of the big picture. Then we can move on to see what part it is, and how we can use it.

If it is not a right fit, consider letting it go as it is a better resource for someone else. Where do you believe you might have something that is not a right fit? Do you know there to be some other right fit products or services that you have not built the support system for yet? Think of an attitude that someone on your team has used that was not a right fit for your team and culture.

We likely do not tolerate that bad attitude for long. Why would we tolerate a wrong fit product or service? What is the next thing you can do about it in the next seven days?

In 1 Samuel chapter 4, we read where the Philistines captured the Ark of God. Nothing good was coming from having the Ark with them. They soon figured out that it was not a good thing to have it in the home, the town hall, or in their temple for Dagon or the city, so they got rid of it.

They just got rid of it. It was not sold at auction and they did not list it on Craig's list. There was no concern about what it was worth. In fact, they went to great trouble to make sure that it was going to be gone for good and they paid with time, energy and their gold to get rid of it.

Where are you keeping something in your life which is not a "right fit" for your relationship with Christ? If it is a significant issue, you might need to use a significant amount of time, energy and gold to rid yourself of it. Sometimes we have developed habits that keep us at a certain capacity.

I believe that this is true in our faith as well. Reading the Bible might be an example. For some reading through the entire Bible seems like an unachievable goal. But to those that have read it year after year it might become a little stale. Adding some journaling, prayer and even music to the habit can create a new experience.

We can also cut out items when they no longer fit our future relationship which makes room for something new. Is there a better use of your resources in the next seven days? What is the first resource you can use to reduce and rid yourself of something that is not a right fit?

Let us pray, Jesus, I do not like the parts of my life that I continue to hold onto that are not a right fit for me. You, and my love for you, are a right fit because you have come to us as a gift, and we have accepted you willingly. But these unfit things have yet to be left abandoned for some of us.

You never abandon us though, thank you. This week, I am going to move away from at least one thing in my activities that is not a right fit with you. Guide me, strengthen me, and embolden me as I use my energy, time, and resources to rid myself of it. Send brothers and sisters in Christ to assist me as you see fit, a right fit. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,