PERSONA NON GRATA

“The day after I retired I walked down the hall of the Company and I realized I was persona

non grata.” Vice President of an international corporation.

The day will come when your status and influence in the business or professional commu-

nity will diminish. You will suffer the loss of:

Position

Influence

And with that, you run the risk of also suffering the loss of:

Identity

Confidence

Motivationv

Not everyone handles these changes well. Dr. Hube Mitchell made this sobering observa-

tion, “As I observe the great men of God, few end well,”

The aging process is inescapable: “All our days have declined… we have finished our years like a sigh

(or whisper).” (Psalm 90:9)

Yet, amidst this loss, it is God’s intention that we continue to live lives of significance… to

be fruitful: “The righteous man will flourish like a palm tree… They will still yield fruit in old age…”

(Psalm 92:12a, 14a)

For this to occur, it is imperative that today we are finding our sense of identification and

significance in Christ, and in Him alone:

“As far as this world is concerned, you are already dead, and your true life is a hidden one in God, through

Christ… ” (Colossians 3:3 – Phillips Translation)

“God forbid that I should boast about anything or anybody except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

which means that the world is a dead thing to me and I am a dead thing to the world.” (Galatians 6:13,

14 – Phillips Translation)

Let us determine to prove Hube Mitchell wrong: By the grace of God, we will end well.