“Never outsource your core competency.” Tony Hsieh
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47
Adept: “very skilled or proficient at something” New Oxford American Dictionary
The story of David and Goliath is a great example of people outsourcing their core competency. Basically, the Israelites were too scared to do what it took to defeat the philistines. But David knew what he was good at, he had already stood up to and killed a bear and a lion, so he had confidence he could stand up to a giant. He knew he could do these things because he was confident in the abilities God gave him, and he had faith that God was on his side. While Saul and David's brothers were just waiting for someone else to take on the philistine giant, David took it upon himself to do the work of God. Meanwhile the philistine's had also outsourced their competency to Goliath, and relied on him to win the battle for them. In the end the battle between two nations was fought between two men, and the difference was God. When David killed Goliath two things happened to those willing to rely on others to do their jobs. The philistines ran away and were defeated, and Saul's affective power quickly evaporated and was transferred to David. At some point in life we're all going to be in a situation like David. There's gonna be a difficult task to be accomplished and we're gonna have a decision to make. Either we can hope someone else will take care of it, or we can rely on our own adeptness and take care of it ourselves. Before we reach that point, let's define our own core competencies and recruit the best help we can muster, the help of our Creator. No, we wont be good at everything we attempt, and there will be times when it will be better to outsource to someone with greater abilities. But we all know when we're shirking our responsibilities or avoiding a task we don't want to do it. In those moments let's remember David, have confidence in our God given abilities and rely on His help to accomplish greater things than we could or would on our own. What is your core competency?
Daily Journaling Questions:
How did I help someone in kindness today?
What did I learn today?
What am I thankful for?
Who did I love today?
What about today do I want to remember forever?
What are my goals for tomorrow?
Thank you so much for reading.
Jake