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| Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay |
Back when I was working
temp jobs, employment seemed precarious and fraught with tough decisions. One
time in particular. A month had passed since I began my temporary position, and
I was still training, but in two more months, the assignment would end. Then, I'd
be back job hunting. My dilemma? Should I continue to look for a job and accept
one if it was offered, or wait until my current position ended?
My family pointed out the company would not hesitate to make any adjustments
necessary to ensure greater profits - at my expense. Shouldn't I consider my
needs first? I was not under contract, and could leave with only the customary two-week
notice. Sounded like a simple choice, except two weeks would not be enough to
train a replacement. Would that be ethical? I oscillated between the desire to
ensure my future employment and my conscience.
After praying about the situation, I realized I didn't have to decide. I could let God do it.
I realize that sounds pat
and trite, but I meant it in a way far different from before. Wayne Jacobsen in
his book, He Loves Me!, put it well. Will I pray
"Save Me!" or Glorify Your Name!"? In other words, whose
interest would best be served by my decision, mine or His?
When I reflected on my previous experiences, I could honestly say I was happier
walking through the flames with Him than I was skipping through the Valley of
Perpetual Sunshine alone. There was an emptiness in the valley I didn't
experience in the flames.
In confirmation, a gentle voice reminded me I had yet to do without the basics
for survival. During the last period between jobs, I received a paycheck every
single week from one source or another. It wasn't always very much, but it took
care of our most important needs. And this job, I didn't even apply for it. The
agency called, and I agreed to the interview. When the job was offered, I was
given a dollar an hour more than what the job originally posted for. Granted,
it was not as much as I was earning in my last position, yet it was enough to
keep most of the financial wolves at bay.
When I am honest with myself, I understand God will not allow me to glide
through life like a spoiled child, getting everything I ask for. As a parent, I
know that isn't healthy, and time and again, what looked like the worst
possible outcome, turned out to be far better than I imagined.
St. Paul, always a good example of unerring faith, understood this basic
principle. If God intended for something to happen, God would make it so. He knew
God intended for him to go to Rome, and when the big storm hit, he had enough
confidence in God's promises to comfort others. The ship was wrecked,
but Paul made it to Rome. Granted, he didn't float in on a grand ship. He
and his fellow passengers had to swim for shore, clinging to wreckage, but he
got there and fulfilled God's purpose.
The same applies to my life. If God intends for me to stay on this earth a
while longer, He will provide the means for me to do so. That means food,
clothing and shelter. In the past, He has paid my car insurance and taxes, even
paid off large debts, using some very unconventional methods, ways I would
never have conceived likely or plausible. In every instance, after much
struggle and worry, and after I finally relinquished my opinion on how He
should resolve the issue, the solution came. Sometimes the benefit wasn't
readily apparent. I still struggle to understand some of the outcomes. These I
must relinquish to His will.
My conclusion: even if my path - His path - appears choked with thorns, I can
trust He will show me the way through the brambles. He will even throw in a few
roses, a sunny path, or two, and some restful water along the way.
And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good,
to such as according to his purpose, are called to be his saints. Romans
8:28 I finally get it.
