Where do we begin? (A small story with a big purpose.)
“No, I’m telling you Henry, this has to work. It will work,” John says with a fire in his eyes.
“That’s great John, but you can’t control the outcomes. Especially not with how your dad set things up.”
“How ‘We’ set things up Henry. Don’t forget that I was just as much a part of this at the beginning.”
“Yeah, I know. I just don’t see things turning around. I mean listen. We have poured everything into this and nothing is changing. At what point do you just say enough is enough? I mean, honestly, there’s other markets out there, and some of them seem a little bit easier to work with.”
“I can’t believe you just said that? Henry, this is like asking me to disown my family. I can’t walk away. Look at what we’ve been gaining in the Eastern markets. All of our products are viable and the sales are unprecedented.”
“Yeah, but at what cost. We’ve taken hit after hit over there. And, might I remind you that our products weren’t created to withstand that type of abuse.”
“Are you serious, Henry? Yes, they were. Actually our products, when unmodified, will withstand even more than they’ve been put through. And on top of that. Our numbers have gone through the roof with all of the adverse treatment.”
“Ok, well then what about the western markets?” He said, knowing this was really the sticking point for all of his arguments.
With that John, looked down at his desk as a tear began to well up in his eye.
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to say what we all know to be fact. It’s not working.”
“Listen Henry, you need to remember this. I finish what I begin. I complete what I start. And I am simply not finished yet.”
“Ha, John, C’mon. It’s not working. We’ve given it every chance, and each new modification we roll out just keeps getting reprogrammed back to the self preservation mode.”
“Henry, I can’t promise that all of them will work, but there are some that I know will make it.”
“Ok, but how do you know? And is it worth it?”
“I just do. And yes, my life was worth it.”
“Fine, but it feels sometimes like we are doing all this work for nothing.”
“Henry, why did we start this venture?”
“Because we wanted to give them their power of choice back,” Henry said quietly as he ran his fingers through his thick blonde hair.
“That’s right. A choice. Why? Because their choice was so hidden that none of them thought they had one. Our product gives our clients that choice again. It clears up all the cloudiness. It’s like a pressure washer for their whole being. If we give up now, what will they do?”
“What does it even matter when they are just modifying our products and destroying all of our work? You of all people should know this, John. I’m not convinced they’ll get it.”
“Henry, I have one more plan, one more move. And I’m confident, the ones that are supposed to get it, will do just that. Up until this point we’ve been swinging on a pendulum from one extreme to the next. Each move was very purposeful and strategic to get us to this point. And here we are, and the only thing left to do is to watch things fall back into the right order.”
“I hope you’re right. Did you talk to your Dad about all this?”
“Of course I did. We talk about everything. I know he has shared your frustrations with the western market, but He’s also got a keen eye for the big picture, so He doesn’t seem worried about it.”
“Ok, alright,” Henry says with a sigh. “What do I need to do?”
“Deliver this to the addresses marked on the envelope. Tell them it’s time. They’ll know what to do from there.”
“Ok. What is it?”
“It’s the master reset for our units. It cleans them of all the viruses and other junk that’s bogged them down.”
“Ok, but what if they lose everything in the process?”
“That’s part of the process, and it’s not a bad thing. We need to be able to get back to the foundation, but we can’t do that with all the junk that’s been built up on our platforms for all these years. Trust me, this will work.”
“Ok, I will.”
And with that, Henry one the lead messenger angels, delivered his message to all of the clients on the list. Including you, who is reading this right now.
It is time for us to be cleansed from the ways that this world has infiltrated the simple, pure Good News that Jesus gave us. It’s time for all of the extras to be removed from our foundations and for us to start anew.
The simple gospel is this: Jesus died for my salvation and freedom. His invitation to me is to receive these gifts and to follow Him no matter the cost. His death on the cross was an example for me to follow. Daily, I choose to lay down my life and take up my cross to follow Him, to learn from Him and serve Him.
If we do not start here, then we will not be living out the fullness of the Gospel. I believe all of heaven is crying out for and cheering us on to fulfill the purpose that we were created for on the path that God designed for us to do so.
This is our first step of the journey to freedom. I call it, Cleansing. Come to Jesus with open hands and open heart and allow Him to wash you clean from any of the stains of this world and from any counterfeits that have become a part of your thinking.
My friend, Let us journey together toward all that the Kingdom has to offer. But, let us do so in humility, with a desire to grow and change into His likeness.
Story is one of the most powerful tools in our engagement of ourselves, God and this world. If you connect with this writing, check out The Compass Series. It is a 4 book series that takes the reader on a journey that is sure to release lasting change in their life.