A New Perspective/Outlook/Light

It was brought to my attention that being honest during my down times and sharing those temporary thoughts isn't the best thing to do.  My negative tone can be taken in ways I did not even think about.  I took it upon myself to think that by being honest and real with all this for my friends and family to read was okay.  I was wrong.  So in understanding that venting doesn't need to be done through this line of communication I share this.

My wife and I are blessed. I need to be thankful that she has a job.  It would be a lot stressful if she didn’t. At least one of us has a full-time job to support us both. It doesn’t matter that it’s her. What matters is food, clothing, shelter, and knowing that God is our Father and ultimately provides for us if we only let Him. Has He not provided everything that we need and then some?  

My parents made sure, and to this day still do, that I didn’t do/go without.  They made sure that I had more growing up than what they did. They supported every decision through the years of college hopping and traveling cross country. The last thing I need to do is send a message to them, to my loving supporting wife, to my family and friends that I am a failure – b/c that will probably make them feel like failures.  

I am not a failure. I am not poor. If I want to be productive for the Lord then now’s the time. I have free time while I work a few hours a week.  I could be doing something for the Lord  instead of wasting away to the ‘Internet job search engine lords.’  For when I have a full time job there stands a good chance that I won’t have as much time to do other things of service.  So what am I doing? I don’t have to have someone’s permission to do work for the Lord.  I shouldn't wait on an email or phone call to give me permission to come help out at a food pantry. Did Jesus ask first? No. He just went and met the people where they were. 

I Learned Something Today

Reading my devotion this morning from Charles Stanley, I learned something that I believe I've heard wrong for quite sometime.  You've heard it said that if you are burdened with something, to give it to God and let Him take care of it.  I've always understood this as "having dumped the burden like a bag of garbage" (InTouch July '09, pg. 42).  This is how I've always approached giving my troubles, my burdens to God.  This is how I've always understood this concept.  But this is not the case.  I learned it in a different light this morning and it makes much more sense.  Giving our burden to Him is a process, just like the Christian faith & walk of any believer.  Christ invites us to share in this troubled time with Him so the two of us can walk and work together.  It's a way for us to get our focus off of ourself and our current situation.  It's a way for us to not feel as if we have to handle it and deal with it on our own.  We shouldn't approach anything, good or bad, in this manner.  In any process in which we share it with Christ, we are essentially giving more of ourself to Him.  This is what He wants.  He wants each one of us in order to have the relationship that He desires with us.  In giving our burdens to Him, we are not to do it for selfish relief in our thinking that we cannot deal with the situation anymore.  Instead, we give it to Him so that we can let Him change our thoughts and responses.  This allows us to "begin to love Him, trust Him, believe His promises, and rely on His power" (InTouch, 42).  "Then as the weight of the affliction shifts from our shoulders to His, we will discover relief, although the situation may remain unchanged" (InTouch, 42).  

This makes much more sense than thinking He snatches up our problem right when we ask/tell Him to and everything is made better, instantly.  It's a gradual process.  Just like the rest of the Christian faith.  If we are sincere about wanting to be like Christ and have the relationship with Him that He wants with us, then we have to be patient.  It is a journey and it begins with our hearts.  We have to be sincere about believing in Jesus as the Son of God.  We have to be sincere in our desire to be like Christ.  We have to be sincere in our desire of a more intimate, mature understanding of Jesus thus creating a more intimate, mature relationship with Him.  It's a daily process that starts with giving ourselves to Him.  In doing so, our known sinful desires, attitudes, and struggles will diminish.  And in our continued pursuit of being like Christ and knowing Christ, unknown, sinful, selfish ways will become known to us and the continued refining of our hearts will continue.  We do not just quit sinning and screwing up the minute we realize who Christ is and that we want Him in our life.  It's a daily process.  Just like the patience it takes in sharing our burdens with Christ.  It is in these daily steps that our faith grows.  It is here our understanding of Jesus grows.  And it is here where our relationship with Him matures, growing closer to Him and more like Him.  

Mmm...Blueberry Oatmeal

Well, it's Wednesday.  That means my day off.  Haha.  That's right.  For whatever reason the owners do not wish to have the fitness place cleaned on Wednesdays.  So, I usually take this time to pick up a little around the house, do some sweeping and cleaning here.  Every-now-and-then I will go out to get away from it all such as going hiking on Roan Mountain.  

I get to have my second interview in over a year this Friday.  I have to drive 4.5 hours to Lexington, KY.  I'm staying at my brother's for the night and then on Friday, going to Frankfort (aka: The State Capital of KY).  I have to go before the Oral Interview Board with the Kentucky State Police for the position of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer I.  I am not sure what to expect.  I'm looking forward to doing an interview.  But I'm not going to get my hopes up.  Those who know me and my personality would probably say that I don't fit the mold of a typical cop.  I would have to agree.  So with my various part-time work experience, youth ministry degree, non-military, non-security guard, non-law enforcement experience, I get to present myself to them.  

I have written a few letters to 5 various employees for the Cincinnati Reds about any possible employment.  I figured since baseball and the Reds are a huge passion of mine, why not see if I can get some type of FT gig with them.  I wrote to the head groundskeeper, the head of community relations, and then the top three guys who run the Reds organization about chaplaincy and business operations possibilities.  I figured it couldn't hurt.  The worse thing that could happen is to never hear anything back or get told "no."  And I'm used to that so that's no big loss on my part.  

One big part of my outlook concerning all the jobs I apply to is this: I give it to God.  I tell Him that if this isn't what He has in store for me or how He wants to use me for His purpose then to keep the door closed with that job.  Give it to the person who needs the job more.  Give it to the father of three who is trying to figure out how to make ends meet.  So with these hundreds of jobs I've applied to, I know that me getting rejected is an answered prayer.  Sure it stinks at times when I think in terms of worldly, fleshly pleasures/desires/wants but I quickly remind myself that He is in control and He did answer my prayer.  So in my continued, ambitious pursuit of getting some form of career started, I know He is preparing me for something far bigger and better than I can come up with in my own thinking.  He (God) has something great in store.  

So I'm thinking for the interview, I will walk in with a sweet handle bar 'stache and my aviators on to show them that I can at least look the part.  What do you think??