Elevate Work Graduation

What an honor to be here. I love Elevate Branson, I love Elevate work, and I am so humbled to be standing before you as graduates. Way to Go! I am so proud of you for completing Elevate Work and graduate today.

I love work.

I believe we are created and designed to work. It is a part of our DNA as humans.

I am not sure where you are in your faith journey but I am a pastor. The Bible makes a lot of sense. The Bible gives us the why to our lives.

In Genesis 1 we see God created this world. He creates the Garden of Eden. What a beautiful amazing place this was? I got to go to Israel. You should see the breakfast platters we had. It was so much fresh honey and honey comb. Fresh fruit. It was amazing.

So think of the most beautiful place you have ever been. The garden of Eden was so much more than this.

God then places man in the garden of Eden and gives him these instructions

Genesis 2:15 HCSB

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

Work it

Work it or cultivate it means to improve it or foster growth. A piece of our work should be to always improve it or foster growth. We should be constantly striving to improve or foster our work no matter what we do.

Watch over it

To watch over or maintain means to preserve from failure or keep from decline.If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Adam and Eve messed the goodness of work up when they disobeyed the Lord.

I believe the Garden of Eden is an excellent picture of the end. I see work that is good being a part of eternity for those who know Jesus. (Not all sitting around playing harps)

So we can conclude this about work...

Legitimate work reflects the activity of God

a. God is good and God worked so work is good

(Darryl and his work in construction)

2. God examined and assessed his work

Genesis 1:31 HCSB

31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

God declared his work good

Work is to be productive

Work should be done in a way that produces the highest of outcome

Take pride in our work

The reward for work is the honor and satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

As you prepare to take the next right step, remember this about work it has purpose meaning and it is a part of they way God designed you.

It is bigger than just a paycheck or clocking in.

It is a part of how we are made and brings Glory to our creator.

Keep working your roadmap with this in mind.

Finally I want to speak to the power of a mentor.

African Proverb

You want to go fast. Go alone. You want to go far then go together.

This is often the picture we get in our minds when it comes to a mentor.

Look how nice this looks

The mentor is the hand

Look how nice the mentor is laying out the steps for the person to step on.

They are placing them in the perfect spot for the person to succeed.

In many ways this does look like what elevate work has done for you. They not only helped to put steps in place to help you out but they also found a mentor to help you through the process.

This is more accurate for my mentorship relationship. I have a great mentor in my life. The idea of my mentor calling me once a week just to check in is not always reality. It looks more like me knowing my mentor and me hanging on or leaning on them to help me out.

My mentor does not always call me. There have been times when they did. Every time I have reached out to them with something challenging in my life they have either answered the phone or called me back when they could.

Don’t rely on your mentor to call you. This may happen.

Your mentor is a tool that has been given to you.

Use your mentor.

Listen to what they say.

Learn from them.

Some of my most favorite things I have learned from my mentor

How do you make an unreasonable person look unreasonable?

You put the unreasonable person in front of reasonable people and let them be themselves.

You matter and we don’t want to lose you.

You know how to do that better than I do.

You loving your family well?

You better hug your daughter or else someone will be doing that for you

Mentors may be proud of you when no one else is.

Sometimes people get jealous when you start to succeed. They will beat you down.

Call your mentor to celebrate the wins

Send them a text

Call your mentor for advise and call your mentor to tell them of the victories.

Continue to work your roadmap,

One of the gages of success and I want to challenge you to make it your goal. Do your work, then come back and mentor.

Favorite quotes them I am done

I have never asked God to move a mountain and the next day not woke up next to a shovel.

I worked my tail off for 39 years for the media to say that I was an overnight success.