MUTCU BLOGS

We Inspire Love, Hope and Godliness

Tag: faith

  • Excellence: Capacity building and Self development

    By Ms Kanyiri

     ” Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

    ARISTOTLE

    Excellence means being exceptionally good and outstanding in all you commit to do. Well, It just means striving to be the best you can be and to do the best you can do in all your endeavor’s. Excellence reflects moral virtue and therefore strives towards what is positive, valuable and praiseworthy.

    Pursuing excellence begins from a point of  realizing that there is NO ultimate!! -You have to keep moving forward because there is more to God’s plan for you and me. Excellence comes as a result of building more capacity and developing yourself for increased efficiency. Bytheaway,  you might be asking yourself, “what is the whole point of developing and leading a life of excellence whose capacity is well built?” I will answer you shortly.

     I will start by narrating a small fable of a man who sets on one morning to chop trees.The man sets to work using a dull axe, and despite his best efforts, he makes very little progress. An  old man comes by and asks the man why he is struggling. The man explains that he is trying to chop down the tree, but his axe is too dull. The old man suggests to that man that he should take a break and sharpen his axe. The man is hesitant to take a break, feeling that he doesn’t have any  time to waste, but the old man insists, explaining that sharpening the axe will actually make the task easier and more efficient.The man finally takes a break and sharpens his axe. When he returns to the task of chopping down the tree, he finds that it is much easier and faster with a sharp axe, and he is able to complete the task in no time.

    This metaphorical story shows the importance of taking breaks and investing time and effort into self-care, skill-building, and preparation before fulfilling our assignments.

    “Pursuing excellence begins from a point of  realizing that there is NO ultimate!! -You have to keep moving forward because there is more to God’s plan for you and me.”

    Building up and developing oneself takes significant time which may actually be mistaken for wasting time,  but in essence it is quite the opposite. It became easier for the man to cut the tree once he invested in sharpening his axe. The story emphasizes that taking time to sharpen our tools and skills can actually save us time and effort in the long run, and make us more effective and efficient in our tasks. And this actually clearly shows that developing oneself is for increased efficiency. Try to take a break from trying too hard and focus on sharpening  your skills. It may take listening to many scholars and reading hundreds of  books to perfect your writing skills, watching a number of tutorials to improve your cooking skills, attending a number of training sessions to better your coding skills and alot more. Achieving excellence is never easy to do. Excellence is a quality that people really appreciate, because it’s so hard to find.

    From a Biblical perspective, being outstanding or extremely good seem most applicable when it is seen as the pursuit of, or abounding in, Christ-like virtue. The fact that we have been perfected in Christ , does not exempt us from pursuing excellence.

    This is a mistake oftenly made by arrogant believers . Self development also known as personal development covers the entire being. We develop spiritually, economically, academically and socially.

    It is God’s will for us to develop. Outside Him, there is no development. It is only through Him and In Him that we can develop. Yes you heard me right. It is only through His way not the World’s way. Probably, you are wondering how, How so?  So, you want something more grounded, more of this world… Sorry, the Bible does not have much in common with these: leadership, speaker, success, team-building, manager qualities, training, speech, influence, vision, potential, focus, efficiency, business, coach, mentor and CEO. Not that it despises them − even its’  heroes have been recognized for these things – but puts in front of all these a coefficient of something else, an infusion of divine. Today, personal development is promoted without God. Instead, the biblical equation is clear: personal development = the knowing of God. so, if you want to know what does the Bible say, then look for people who have developed themselves with God.

    “Excellence is a quality that people really appreciate, because it’s so hard to find.“

     "And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man."- Luke 2:52

    Have a closer look- see the personal development of Jesus: ‘Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men’.  An ideal example of how self development ought to be. It is a series of overlapping categories within four domains: mental (wisdom), physical (stature), social (favour with men) and spiritual (favour with God). Jesus has already set the bar for us. He has shown us how a life of excellence should be. He changed the entire portfolio of personal development. If we are to speak collectively, try Ephesians 4: 13-15, where the goal for all Christians is clearly set: to be as Christ, that is, to be at the height of His stature.

    "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in ALL things into Him who is the head -Christ." - Ephesians 4:15

    The emphasy here is that we must grow in ALL things. He is the standard man. Jesus is the flawless standard man who knew the secret behind self development. We therefore must emulate Him , bringing us to the conclusion that self development comes from a point of knowing God first and then following the example of Christ.

    “The biblical equation is clear: personal development = the knowing of God. so, if you want to know what does the Bible say, then look for people who have developed themselves with God.”

      In conclusion, it is indisputable that the  building blocks of excellence form the bedrock upon which personal development is constructed. Self-awareness, goal setting, continuous learning, resilience, self-care, and positive habits intertwine to create a robust foundation that propels you toward growth and achievement. Personal Excellence is the journey of positive development beyond one’s self and is a step by step process of improving oneself in every aspect of life. Although the process is difficult and requires patience but it benefits those who want to live a successful life of excellence.It requires building up on a life of discipline. Many things get in the way of pursuing excellence, including apathy, carelessness, and laziness. Our sinful nature is that part of us that is unlike God and is in fact in opposition to God and His excellence.  We cut corners, we shirk and we find ourselves  settling  for second best (or third or fourth best).

    “God’s cure for our careless ways is to remind us that He is our ultimate judge. We must answer to Him for how we spend our time, our resources, and our energy . Striving for excellence should be a part of all we do.“

    “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”  - Colossians 3:23–24.

     Aware that it is Christ Himself we are serving, we don’t want to present Him with anything but excellence. Whether it is leading in praise team or serving the community or whether it is cleaning the church or pursuing our careers. we should strive for excellence in work ethic, in character, and in craftsmanship. No one is good at everything, but we’re all good at something. God expects us to develop the skills and gifts He has given us in order to serve Him and others better. Paul addressed the subject of excellence in Romans 12:6–8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” In other words, find your gifts and use them with excellence.

    Blessings

  • Excellence: Should be more within than without

    By Jimmy Wanjuhi

    “Excellence is not being the best. It is about doing your best. “

    So What does it mean to be a man of excellence?

    Many of us picture it in terms of praise worth achievements like winning championships, being always at the top of your class or even having wealth more than everyone else. Yes all this do in a way define excellence but looking at the bigger picture,  is there a long term sense of fulfilment after these accomplishments.

    You see When you become the best in something, there is always the sense of accomplishment, it causes a dopamine rise, but it soon fades away as fast as it came. Sometimes the reason most of us strive to excel in something is so as to show the world how good we are.

    Sometimes the reason most of us strive to excel in something is so as to show the world how good we are. If this becomes the motivation, then definitely it becomes a habit and can easily lead you to a loophole.You’ll have to indulge in more and more risky stuff for you to get that dopamine rise. So, in this context, excellence only becomes an addiction, a bad one I may add. We’ve heard stories of people who died while trying to break certain records.

    Let’s flip the coin. What if we change the narrative? What about we stop striving to excel so that people can see us. We stop caring about the accolades we’ll get and our focus becomes, ‘how to do the best.’

    “Don’t climb a mountain with an intention that the world See’s you, Climb with an intention to see the world. “

    Excellence should be a drive from the inside not from the outside. The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether somebody appreciates it or not. As the famous quote goes, “If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins.”

    A Bibilical Perspective

    Imagine the life of Jesus. What if Jesus forgot about His purpose and was concerned about what people said about Him? He would have spent most of His time proving them wrong instead of establishing His ministry. Despite facing criticism, rejection, persecution, etc. He remained focused on His mission of spreading love, compassion and teachings of redemption.

    “A leader who speaks the truth seeks to empower you while the one who tells you what you want to hear seeks to control you”

    The reason why the life of Jesus is a story of excellence is because He didn’t seek approval from His audience. He didn’t aspire to be liked, but to fulfil His purpose. He knew in order to excel He had to tell people the bitter truth, whether they like it or not.

    In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus talks about the light. He compares light to a town built on a hill; it cannot be hidden. He teaches that we should let our light shine upon others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in heaven. Note this; ‘that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in heaven.’ So, whenever we live a life of excellence, the goal should be to bring glory to God not to self. 

    Matthew 6:1-4; “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. ~ NKJV Version.

    Jesus warns against seeking approval from men. When we do deeds of excellence it should be the same, it should not be for men to see and to praise us, but our deeds should bring glory to God and there can be no greater reward than this.

  • STRESS MANAGEMENT

    STRESS MANAGEMENT

    Sydney Harris

    ‎”When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’”

    What is Stress?

    Stress can be defined as our mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral reactions to any perceived demands or threats.

    While “stress” is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, Scripture does speak to things such as anxiety, worry, and trouble—things we often associate with stress—and gives us clear answers on how we should deal with them.

    What does the Bible say about stress?

    Everyone suffers from stress at one time or another. How we naturally deal with it depends in large part on who we are. For some, emotional stress causes physical illness. Others might become hyper-productive. On the other hand, some people under stress shut down mentally and emotionally. And, of course, there are a variety of other responses. Stress is a common human experience, particularly in a world where the demands for our time and attention seem to be unending. Our jobs, health, family, friends, and even ministry activities can overwhelm us. The ultimate solution to stress is to surrender our lives to God and seek His wisdom regarding priorities as well as His enabling to do the things to which He calls us. He always gives enough, so we need not to be defeated by stress.

    One common cause of stress is financial. We stress over money because we never seem to feel that we have enough. We worry about being able to pay all our bills, many living paycheck to paycheck. Or we become consumed by materialism and, in turn, stressed-out about maintaining our lifestyle. Some become stressed over finances because they don’t trust God to provide the basic necessities of life.

    But Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? … And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).

    It is true that we are called upon to be good stewards of money and to provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:8), but we must never forget that God is ultimately our Provider. If we are His, we need not fear that He will abandon us. On the other hand, there are those whose financial stress is caused more by materialistic greed than it is by true need. Materialism inevitably leads to stress because, when we seek the world’s goods, we have fallen for the “deceitfulness of wealth” (Mark 4:19), the lie that such things relieve stress and lead to happiness, contentment, and joy. They do not.

    We might also find ourselves stressed when facing a hardship or trial. James 1:2–4 counsels, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When we encounter hardship, we can succumb to stress, or we can view it as a means by which God can strengthen our faith and mold our character (Romans 5:3–5; 8:28–29). When we redirect our focus on God, we find comfort in our sorrows and strength to endure (2 Corinthians 1:3–4; 12:9–10).

    No matter the type of stress in our lives, the starting point for dealing with it is Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us great encouragement in John 14:1: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” We desperately need Him in our lives. We need Him because He is the only one who can give us the strength to cope with the troubles in our lives. Believing in Him does not mean that we will have a trouble-free life or that we will not feel overcome by stress in our lives. It simply means that a life without Jesus Christ makes coping with stress an impossible and often debilitating task.

    Believing leads to trusting. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Leaning on “our own understanding” often means adopting the world’s ways of relieving stress—things like alcohol or drugs or mindless entertainment. Instead, we are to trust His Word as our ultimate guide to a stress-reduced life. David says, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). David knew that by seeking the Lord and sharing his troubles with Him that perhaps he would find favor with Him. The Lord in turn answered him and calmed him down.

    Perhaps no passage in Scripture better captures how to handle stress than Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Lord tells us not to be anxious about anything, but rather to turn everything over to Him in prayer. Lifting our burdens and concerns to a holy and righteous God daily will mitigate or eliminate the stress in our lives. Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He will sustain us and never fail us (see also 1 Peter 5:6–7). Jesus Christ offers peace if we come to Him with our worries and concerns. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

    Stress of all kinds is a natural part of life (Job 5:7, 14:1; 1 Peter 4:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13). But how we deal with it is up to us. If we choose to try to do it on our own, we will not find lasting relief. The only way we can consistently and successfully deal with stress is with Jesus Christ. First, we must believe in Him. Second, we need to trust Him and obey Him. We should trust Him to do what is right because His ways are always best for us. Disobedience and sin can produce stress and cut us off from the only means of peace and joy.

    By obeying His commandments we reap the blessings of true contentment from a loving God. Finally, we need to seek His peace daily by filling our minds with His Word, lifting all things to Him in prayer, and sitting at His feet in awe and reverence. It is only by His grace, mercy, and love that the stress in our lives can be managed.