How to Find Nemo

Have you ever considered that crises in our lives often could be caused by being in the wrong job or career, the wrong place mentally, or in the wrong group of people? Sometimes God is saying amid the crisis, “Hey, I love you, but now it’s time to get you to the right spot, and that spot is not where you currently are.” In other words, if at first, you don’t succeed, then skydiving is not for you.   

Here’s an example of where everyone is in the right spot or the wrong spot. Heaven is where: the police are British, the chefs are Italian, the mechanics are German, the lovers are French, and it’s all organized by the Swiss. Hell is where: the police are German, the chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and it’s all organized by the Italians. Hell on earth, for many people, is being in, working in, or trying to be in someone else’s spot rather than your spot.

I realize that finding the right spot can be challenging. Think of this. Life was much simpler when apple and blackberry were just fruits. But in today’s world, in countries like America, there is still the opportunity to choose careers or jobs. There’s still a choice between a good attitude and a rotten attitude. There’s still a choice between good people and not-so-good people for you.   

There is a book written about finding the right spot. It’s called Who Moved My Cheese, and it was a best seller in its time. Why? Because there’s a lot of cheese being moved around these days! Like a rat in a maze, the location of our cheese or 'successes' has changed. Someone or something moved our cheese. Please don't panic. It’s there. But, we must change directions or locations to find it again.

Sometimes we have great success in an area, and suddenly, it’s gone. Have you heard of the 50-50-90 rule? When you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% chance you will get it wrong. Sound familiar? 

Could it be that God wants to place us in a better spot? How do we arrive at that spot? We must journey through the death of the old to get to the birth of the new. I’m not saying to be a quitter. Sometimes we must persevere. However, often sound wisdom dictates a change in direction, our career, or whatever. After all, no one reaches a high position without daring. For most people, it's harder to let go of the past or present than continue to the future. 

Someone once said, “What I do, I do very well; and what I don’t do well, I don’t do at all.” Lin Yutang said, "Sometimes it's more important to discover what one cannot do than what we can do." There are times when we need to be responsive to circumstances and ask some honest questions to God, ourselves, and others about our situation. There is victory in a devoted group of counselors. An Egyptian novelist and Nobel Prize winner said: “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”

Mark Twain once said, “The two greatest days in your life were the day you were born and the day you found out why.” Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are. Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. Running from your identity is a race you never win. The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than what you settled for. In other words, find your lane and then drive fast. 

The Scripture says: "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a season for every event under heaven. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted; a time to search, and a time to give up as lost." But after every winter comes a spring! I love spring, and I know God has a better plan for your life. It’s just that skydiving may not be for you.

Here’s some wisdom from my good friend, author Ed Silvoso, about taking your first step to the right spot for you.  

“The best way to fight the feelings of fear, self-centeredness, and despair that are buffeting so many around us is with the exact opposite: faith (let us believe for more, not less), exuberant generosity (let us give more, not less – especially to those that are in deep pain due to significant losses), and a Gibraltar type of hope that declares that God will cause all things - even the worst things imaginable - to work together for good.

Ed then says, “God is telling us what He told Gideon, ‘In this, your strength, go and save the nation.’” In other words, no matter how small your faith, focus on the future and do something about it, for your sake and others' sake also.

This is good advice for those of you in college or high school. Pray and seek guidance about your future vocation. Some of you reading this article have found your assignment is life. That’s great. But I bet that you know someone who could use it. Copy the article and give it to them. Then say to them, “Dude…Here’s how you find Nemo!”