More Valuable than a Bird

Ok…so its time for my yearly blog update. For those of you who still actually check my blog…bless you. I am the worse blogger ever! One would think with me not having a job and all that I would be blogging all the time just to pass the time away, but I’ve found plenty of other ways to keep busy I guess.

So I’ve been thinking about my topic for my update and I’ve decided to use this time to answer the question that EVERYONE has been asking. Actually, the same question comes in a variety of forms but here are the main two…

“Do you have a job yet?” and/or “What do you want to do with your life?”

Short answers:
No
Glorify God

Long answer:
Well, the answer is the same, but since I don’t feel my readers would be satisfied with just a two paragraph post, I will elaborate.

For those of you who don’t know I graduated with my masters in December. My study was in Atmospheric Sciences, which at this point (and probably never) I have no desire to use.

Here’s all I really know…God wants me in College Station. So knowing this I started applying for all sorts of jobs starting way back this summer. And here it is…3 days from February and I still don’t have a job.

At this point a lot of you are probably thinking a variety of things…

Q: “If you can’t get a job in College Station then why don’t you move to where you can get a job?”
A: I already said…the ONE thing I know is that God wants me here…right now, leaving is not an option.

Q: “Well, certainly God knows you need to have a job.”
A: I am certain that God knows every NEED I have and provides for every NEED I have so I guess as of right now…I don’t really need a job.

Q: “What about paying your bills…what does God think about that.”
A: He has already provided for every bill I’ve had and will have within the next month.

Q: “Aren’t you FREAKING out!”
A: As a follower of Christ, that’s not really an option for me. Jesus said in Matthew 6:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Notice that whole “do not worry” part…that translates to worry is sin for those who are followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus commands me not to worry.

The Bible also says in 1 John 2:4: The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

I claim to know Christ so I will do what He commands.

(By the way, for anyone who reads that verse claiming to know Christ and feels it comes off a bit too harsh…you might want to ask yourself why…is it possible that you are a liar?)

Q: “The good Lord helps those who help themselves.”
A: Can I get the reference for where that’s found in the Bible?

Look, I am in NO WAY promoting a passive lifestyle. Laziness is sin. Let me make it clear that I’m not just sitting on my couch watching old seasons of Friends as each day goes by saying…”Gee…if God really wants me to have a job I’m sure someone will come knocking at my door and offer me one”.

Waiting on the Lord is an ACTIVE thing. It involves seeking Him, being in His Word, and constantly observing everything that is going on around you.

I have 75+….yes 75+ applications out there. From anything that would require my degree to something any regular Joe off the street could do. Anything from full-time to part-time. I’ve had 2 calls back. The first one led to an interview in which I got a bad check in my spirit from and the other was just a call from a lady saying she didn’t understand why I was applying for that job with my qualifications. So…2 out of 75…I’m not expert on these things but I think that’s a little unheard of.
There is an interesting component in all of this. A couple of months or so ago, I mentioned something to Melodi about feeling like God might not give me a job until after the trial on February 8th. The past year I was really able to help out and spend time with the kids given my flexible schedule, but if I were to get a full-time job it would really put a stop to that ministry. Well, here we are 11 days from the trial and no job…hmmm…very interesting.

While I’m not 100% sure what God’s reasons are for me not having a job right now, I have learned one major thing. God’s really not as concerned about what my job situation is going to be as He is in what I’ve learned from all of this. This time in my life has really had nothing to do with a job. It’s about experiencing Him and increasing my faith in Him. It’s about coming to know Him on a whole new level and realizing life’s not about a job or a career or a title. It is about knowing my Savior, and making Him known. That’s it…that’s all our short time on this earth has anything to do with. All the other stuff falls into two categories…they are either the means, tools, or ways which we know Him and make Him known or they are just distractions from our main point in life. I fear that we’ve taken things that God has meant for us to use to bring Him honor and glory, and turned them into idols…things that take our eyes and hearts off Jesus.

While I’m not entirely fond of waiting on the Lord, I would not have traded this time and experience in my life for anything else. I think so far it’s been one of my favorite times with the Lord. I love the fact that He loves me so much that He’s always taking me through things that challenge me, that grow me, and ultimately that lead me to fall even more head over heals in love with Him than ever before.

If you are reading this and thinking I am a complete nut case, there is good chance it’s because you’ve never come to experience a true love relationship with Christ. If that so please, please talk to me or someone else who you think is a complete nut case for Christ. One day we will all spend eternity in Heaven or Hell…there is no middle ground…no “waiting room”. The choice is yours and God not only wants to spend eternity in Heaven with Him but He also wants you to experience His amazing love now…right here on earth…then you can become a nut case like me!