I recently re-read Spencer Johnson, M.D.'s classic book, Who Stole My Cheese? First published in 1998, this allegory still resonates with many of us today. As the rate of change in our world seems to increase every day - perhaps more in the marketplace than anywhere else - this little book continues to live up to its subtitle: "A Surprising Way to Cope with Change in Your Work and in Your Life."
If you're not familiar with the story, it's about two mice (Sniff and Runner) and little men (Ham and Haw) who travel through a maze in search of cheese. When they discover a plentiful supply, they return to this place every day, enjoying their cheese. Then one day the cheese disappears.
After some confusion, puzzled by what happened to the cheese that was always there, the mice begin looking for it elsewhere in the maze. Over time, their efforts are rewarded as they find cheese that is bigger and better than before. However, the little people at first refuse to admit that their familiar cheese is gone forever. They return day after day to the same place, but do not find the cheese.
Eventually Ham, driven by hunger, decides to look for cheese elsewhere in the maze. However, his colleague Hav is stubborn. He refuses to accept that the cheese will no longer be in the same place. "Who stole my cheese?" - he constantly asks.
The story of “cheese” is familiar to many thousands of business and professional people. Their aspiration may not be actual cheese—their “cheese” may be more clients, a more successful career, more money, a happier life, or something else. Returning to the same place in search of this “cheese” when the supply is exhausted is useless. The search for “cheese” must take a different path.
In my own career, the “cheese” has gone missing many times. Often this change led to confusion. I felt comfortable doing the job I was doing. She was familiar, I felt like I had everything under control, but the prospect of making major changes was unsettling, to say the least.
Scripture does not specifically address cheese, but it does address issues when someone or something appears to be stealing our “cheese.” Here are just a few examples of how faith can help when we don't find our “cheese” in the usual place.
Everything has its time. Few things remain the same in life. Change, whether we like it or not, is inevitable: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven... a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted... a time to destroy, and a time to build...” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
God determines when the "cheese" must be stolen. When change becomes necessary, we can trust that God already knows what is best for us: “For [only] I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
When our “cheese” goes missing, it’s usually for the better. God has an overarching purpose, and He fits the changes we face in life into His overall plan: “Commit your works to the Lord, and your undertakings will be accomplished. The Lord did everything for His own sake; and even the wicked [is reserved] for the day of disaster…” (Proverbs 16:3-4). “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his course” (Proverbs 16:9).
© 2023. Robert J. Tamasi wrote Market Ambassadors: The Continuing Legacy of CBMC Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at its Best: Timeless Proverbial Wisdom for Today's Workplace; Finding Life with a Shepherd's Heart, co-authored with Ken Johnson; and The Heart of Mentoring, co-authored with David A. Stoddard. Bob's bi-weekly blog: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
Questions for reflection/discussion
NOTE. If you have a Bible and want to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:25, 21:2; Isaiah 26:3, 41:10; Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6-7
