Can this burden lead to all things new? This is the daily disturbance podcast with Anthony van Nienen. Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, Roy Bennett suggests, shift your energy to what you can create. So how to turn the burden in front of me to a blessing?
The other day we said, see all that knocks at your door as a gift. And then we said, number two, allow the burden to transform you, let it strengthen you. Today we invite you to look at the new things that can replace the old. Let this burden lead you to innovation and change the inevitable famine.
Again, we're talking about Joseph of Egypt in Genesis told Joseph, right? The inevitable famine told to Joseph in a dream and Joseph's approach on how to address the famine is a classic case on preparation one on one leadership, one on one new ways to replace the old to address what he was told. As I look at how we, my family, my company, how we have survived as a business in this challenging time for the entire world, right? I would have to mention launching you ventures, new initiatives as a key for all of us.
You know, probably three out of five initiatives when I look back right now, we're new ones, replacing old products and services, if not temporarily, permanently. What is this current burden before you, possibly telling you to tweak, to improve or to change completely? What should you change for good? As Mr.
Beaver assured, lose see chronicles of Narnia about Aslan the lion, and I quote, who said he was safe, he's a lion, he's not safe, but he is good. There are times we need to stop playing safe. Moving out, right, of one's comfort zone is a choice we all have to make again and again is this a time for you. Move out of the comfort zone.
If we will continuously move and consistently align with our calling zone amidst all our chaos, amidst all our chaos, therefore a mission from our theos and by definition, that is another name for God. However, you conceive your God to be. Tom Hiddleston, I am an optimist, he said, I choose to be, there is a lot of darkness in our world, there is a lot of pain, and you can choose to see that, or you can choose to see the joy. If you try to respond positively to the world, you will spend your time better.
And as Didi Jakes reminds us when Joshua and Israel ran out of Moses, they ran into God. And we run out of all that we have leaned on through the years, family, company, friends, even religion. If we truly seek with all our hearts, Jeremiah 29, we will find God. Be strong and courageous, the Lord told Joshua, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
Interestingly, whereas in the desert thing about this manna and quail, we're simply provided by God, right? This time in Canaan, the Israelites were told to fight for it. Yes, they were to be strengthened and provided for by God, but they had to take up arms and conquer the land. Didi Jakes paraphrases the Lord's command to his people, which in essence called for a new way of receiving the blessing behind what is seemingly a burden.
And this is what Didi Jakes said, what I've given to you by permission, now you need to take by force. We need to open our minds to soften our hearts. That's what really happens, right? And to change our ways.
The obstacle to progress, and I've been saying this for decades, I wonder if I've internalized it enough, the obstacle to progress is not ignorance, but the assumption of knowledge. Stephen King says something similar, the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. When doors closed to on-site programs for us, as trainers and events, even in media, over a year and a half ago, long time, and only the Lord knows when these will be fully restored. We had to pivot that word.
We had to pivot online to share our content, seminars, conferences, events were the main platforms for our talents, for me, speakers, our media practitioners, our talents, under our care. There was no other way, and we needed to survive like most of you. But as we look now at the literally millions of lives, we as a company and as a family have had the chance to engage with more than ever before in our over four decades in these industries. We are amazed, we are thankful, we had no choice, but now we rejoice.
The burden turned into a blessing as the Olds too, I say this, was set aside for the entirely new brew. Drink up. Our minds and our hearts will continue to seek new ways of pursuing our calling. And so should you, even as we all hold on to those things that remain timeless and effective, a combination of the old and new, Philippians 3.13, brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I pressed on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Turn that burden into a blessing by replacing the old, ineffective ways into something innovative and new.