Is it a good thing or God thing?

     A few years ago I had an idea of different things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I saw myself moving forward in what I did in my local church. I saw myself moving away from my responsibilities at my "day" job. I made a comment to my pastor that if I was 5 years older I could be in a position to retire and would have more time to devote in working at the church. I have asked God for direction in this matter. I have asked God to give me something I could manage. I have always been a person that struggles with patience. During this time I have struggled with discouragement. I thought I had a clear path of what God wanted my to do and a direction He wanted me to move in preparation for what lied ahead of me. 

    The first step would be freeing up time in my job to transfer the time spent to working at the church. I passively started looking for a job that would allow me to work toward this goal. The jobs I saw available would cause a location change which would not be toward my goal. I would need to find a new church. I love my church but want to do what God wants me to do. 

    Then I became aware of Man in The Mirror ministry. It was exactly what I had been praying for- being able to devote more time to not only my church but other local churches as well. I work in a ministry that teaches and equips men to disciple other men. It is easy to become discouraged in the culture we live in, but in this position, I can offer encouragement to other men. This is exactly what I was looking for to focus on the goals for my life.

    I just celebrated 5 years with Man In The Mirror. In the few years before starting this position my job had me on a path where my responsibility had been growing, which in itself is not a bad thing. The owner of the company had transitioned into part time. This would impact my job by giving me more responsibility there. This has caused more thinking on my part. My responsibilities were growing which were causing me to question if it was taking away from my ultimate goal in life. It's obvious that I can be used by God somewhere- just as Jonah after running the opposite direction was used by God- but I always need to exercise patience to see what direction he takes me. Sometimes God doesn't speak to us as clearly as he did to Jonah- and maybe sometimes we miss what He is telling us.        I was disappointed that I couldn't do more for Tarwater Farm and Home. It's a great place to work with great people to work with. Dealing with disappointment is hard. Part of dealing with it is to exercise patience and be aware of things around you that can be used to overcome that disappointment. My patience led to working for Man In The Mirror. 

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