I have been struggling with how to talk about the topic, “Trusting God in a Climate of Fear.” I did not want to be trite, simplistic or to give in to the panic that some like to spread.
A friend of mine sent me an e-mail that is a bit long, but well worth the time to read, it is his reflections on how he struggled with the potential loss of his job.
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“Thought I would share something personal which happened last Friday. When the rubber meets the road, just how much do we trust God?
Most of you know I have been in transition at work since about the 1st of December. A bit unsettling in light of our economic turmoil. I think I said at that I was at peace with whatever direction God was going to take me…until Friday!! I had been scheduled to meet with my boss this week on Wednesday, January 28th. Most days I have been heading home at 2pm since early December because I have had very little to do. Friday at noon I get a call from my bosses secretary saying he wants to meet with me at 4 pm!! Friday…. 4pm….he has just returned from Germany where meetings took place with our parent company well here is how it all ends for me as I say to myself. Surely this is it, the dominos are about fall. Quickly, and this is all true, I am rapidly updating my profile on Monster.com, from noon onward!! It’s now 3:55 pm on Friday and I am posted outside my bosses office. Can’t help but eavesdrop, and who is inside, yep it’s a Director from Human Resources, OK further confirmation that most certainly they are discussing how and who will deliver the news. Next comes a guy in a suit (this is a company where I had to go buy jeans to fit in), he has a small stack of papers with little flags on them where you are to sign….yep gotta be outside legal counsel to insure that I don’t bring any age discrimination suits against the company. My heart is racing about as fast as possible at this juncture. Next my bosses secretary excuses herself, no doubt she doesn’t want to witness what she already knows is in the works. At that moment I realized maybe just how far away I was from trusting God’s plan…because surely it wasn’t peace that I felt. My mind raced with what will I do, where will I go, what will happen to my plans.
You’ve probably guessed by now the end of the story. The door opens, the HR manager smiles at me and says hello, great to see you (generally not the kind of greeting given by HR when terminating an employee). My boss asks me to take a seat, doesn’t ask me to close the door, and he proceeds to tell me that he is sorry it has taken so long to get back to me on MY NEXT ASSIGNMENT!! Hey at this juncture, I could have cared less about what the assignment is.
I say it frequently, Phillipians 4: 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
But Friday taught me a great deal about just how much do I trust God with the outcomes….not as much as I thought. I thank God this day that he has work for me and my family, I thank Him that this day he has taught me that much more about Trust in Him, may today and tomorrow and the next day and the next day be more about trusting Him regardless of the circumstances or whatever might be percieved as the circumstances. I thank Him that He graciously accepts my doubts and fears, and encourages me to draw closer to Him. “
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I would like to thank you for sharing this. There is a very valuable lesson that we can all learn from this story. I Praise God for this person and their willingness to share their story. It was just what I needed to read. It reminds me to trust in Jesus no matter what my life circumstances are. It also reminds me of what Jesus says, Luke 12:27
27 Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
That would have made a great eDevotional. Great Story!
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