Transition to Your MissionSample

I had just finished a business meeting and decided to sit outside on a park bench in the middle of a few business buildings. As I sat down, a man and his son walked toward me looking to do the same.

They sat down and I struck up a conversation. The man’s name was Jeremy and they had just finished a business meeting there as well.

Jeremy told me they were in the vending machine business and things were going very well. I had always been intrigued by vending machines, and I was kind of excited to talk more about this with him, but there was something even more interesting about Jeremy and his stepson’s story.

Jeremy and his stepson were both blind.

I asked Jeremy how he was able to acquire and sustain the business.

Jeremy shared how he used to have a Tae Kwan Do studio but didn’t like that his time was always linked to the business. He had to be there or he wouldn’t make any money.

The fact that a blind man owned and operated a Tae Kwon Do studio to me is amazing on its own.

However, Jeremy was looking for a change. He was in the transition process.

A friend of Jeremy’s, who's name was Michael and was also blind, told him about a government business program for the blind. At first, Jeremy brushed it off. A year later, Jeremy visited Michael's house and everything shifted for him.

When Jeremy walked into Michael's house he discovered that vending machines could be a lucrative and time-saving business for him. Michael's house was massive!

Initially, Jeremy had many doubts about the business, but eventually, Jeremy told me, “I had to get the courage and see myself doing it. Once I did that, I knew the business would be fine.”

When you are in the midst of a transition, courage will get you where you need to go.

I remember my transition season of starting a new business. I thought I needed clarity and confidence to get things going. What I really needed was courage.

I needed the courage to work even when I wasn’t sure if it was going to work. I needed the courage to put myself out there. I needed the courage to be creative with my offerings. I needed the courage to believe things were working out for good.

The same rings true in Jeremy’s story as well.

Jeremy needed the courage to go after a business that was very limited. Jeremy needed the courage to write out a business plan when he wasn’t sure how it was going to work. Jeremy needed the courage to put himself out there and believe he was the right man for the job.

The scriptures tell us in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

The Bible is full of courageous people. I want to highlight a few of them so you can get connected more deeply to their story.

• Joseph was courageous to help people with their dreams even after his family sold him for sharing his dream (Genesis 39).
• David was courageous to stand up against Goliath when no one else would. He didn’t know the outcome (1 Samuel 17).
• The woman with the issue of blood was courageous to risk being stoned to death to find Jesus, and believed if she could touch His robe she would be healed (Matthew 9).
• Moses was courageous enough to go back to Egypt and lead the people of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3).
• Ruth was courageous enough to gather grain in a stranger’s field by herself (Ruth 2).
• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had enough courage to be thrown into the fiery furnace and believe God would save them (Daniel 3).

In all of these stories mentioned in the Bible, you can see they were all in a transition process. In many cases, their lives were on the line. They were in dire need of help.

In whatever transition season you may be in today, I’d like to pray with you and for you. I believe you will make it and God will deliver you.

Lord, be with them where they are.

Make your words come alive to them.

Help them see what they need to see today.

Draw them into your presence like never before.

I welcome peace and humility into their situation.

Help them to get connected to you, the source.

Bless them as they put you first.

You know what they need Lord.

God bless,

Anthony Thompson