Patience and Contentment

I graduated college in May of 2015, over a year ago. I’ve been looking for a job ever since. While looking for a job I worked part time (one day a week) filming high school and community college sports across Mississippi for 11 months. I’m not that big into sports, but I know how to work a camera and needed the money. It was not fun, but the money was good. Overall, It has a difficult year. The main lesson I learned was to trust in the Lord. I never doubted that He had a job somewhere for me, so that gave me hope for the future and that helped me stay content. During that year, I learned patience the hard way. Patience and contentment were the biggest things I learned.  A lot of my days were spent at Starbucks on my computer looking online for jobs. I must have applied for over 100 jobs, and out of those, I only heard anything back from about 25% of them, and out of that 25%, only about 10% seemed interested, and out of that 10% only about 5% called me in for an interview. The wait and the negative responses I got made it easy to get depressed and feel bad about myself, but instead of having a pity party, I redirected that to my hope in the Lord. Every time I submitted my resume or applied for an application I prayed “Lord, if this isn’t the job for me, please close the door in my face. If it is for me, please open the door. Not my will, but yours.”

As I mentioned, during this time, I spent a lot of time sitting in Starbucks. There I got to know the Baristas and other regular customers fairly well. I was able to help encourage people and talk about God to people. One of my professors who quickly became my friend, asked me “What if you are unemployed because there is one person that God wants you to talk to?” This made me think. If the Lord could use me to give a word of encouragement that changed their life, or share the gospel to at least one person, me being unemployed would be totally worth it. I got to talk with and encourage many people, as well as share the gospel with an atheist Australian street performer in New Orleans. I also got to know a regular at Starbucks named Jamal. Jamal is a Muslim Saudi Arabian who is working on his PhD at Mississippi State University. English is not his first language, so he would always bring me his laptop and have me proof-read his papers for school. In addition to helping him with his papers, over the year we didn’t exchange much more than basic pleasantries and greetings. Every time I talked to him I kept feeling like I needed to share the gospel with him. But sadly , our conversations never went in that direction. Well, finally, in mid June of 2016, he and I were talking about life and how people act, and the door was opened for me to share the gospel with him. I was able to share with him the simple truths of what Jesus did and the concept of God’s grace and how there is nothing that we need to do in order to be saved, just simply believe. It was a very organic conversation that fell in line with what we were talking about and wasn’t forced. I didn’t see him convert on the spot, I simply planted a seed, a pebble in his shoe that hopefully he will take out and further examine in the future. A week after that, I was offered a job at a locally owned and operated online store. Maybe Jamal was the reason the Lord had me to be unemployed for so long: so I could build a relationship with him and eventually share the gospel with him. I guess I’ll find out in eternity.

I write this to encourage people in similar situations that no matter where you find yourself in life, no matter what you may be going through, no matter what the future looks like, TRUST THE LORD! Romans 8:28 says “He works everything together for the good of those who love Him.” This has been a comforting verse to me for many years, and it shows me that no matter what happens, whether we think it is good, or whether we think it is bad, the Lord uses those situations to help build and better us. We need only to trust Him. As long as we are trusting Him, He will provide for us and lead us to where He wants us.

A song that encouraged me a lot through this past year, was “Finish What He Started” by Steven Curtis Chapman. One set of lyrics really sticks out to me:

And it may feel like 40 long days in a hard driving rain

Or 40 years in a dry desert sand

But when He’s finished we will SEE

A beautiful tapestry

And know that nothing has been wasted in the end

Oh, and God will, He will finish what He started

No thread will be unwoven

Nothing will be left undone

Every plan and every purpose

That He has will be accomplished

And God will finish what He’s begun

And we’ll stand as the ones completed

By the miracle of His love

Stay strong, my brothers and sisters, trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding, although in our hearts we try to plan our course, it is the Lord that establishes our steps.

Was Biggs Right?

"It just isn't fair! Oh, Biggs is right, I'm never gonna get out of here!"

These words were spoken by a young farm boy named Luke, a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.  Luke's uncle had just revealed to him that he needed him to stay home another year to help with the harvest. Over the past few years Luke had seen most of his friends leave, including his best friend Biggs, who left to enroll in the Imperial Academy. Joining the Academy was Luke's dream. He felt alone and useless staying behind while his childhood friends moved on with their lives. 

I can totally understand Luke's frustration. I graduated from college a year ago and I had high hopes of getting a decent job and moving away from home. The summer before I graduated I had an internship in Washington, D.C., where I learned a lot and made lots of connections with people. I thought for sure, especially with those connections,  that I would have no trouble finding a job. It wasn't something that I was worried about. God's got it all planned out for me, right? Of course I'll have a job after I graduate. That's what everyone does. That's what is best for me. That's how I start the next chapter of my life. Surely God wants what's best for me! 

Well, here I am, a year later, still living at home, still working part time for a television company, and still looking for a real job. The Lord has been gracious enough to give me parents who allow me to still live with them. He also provided me with a part time job filming high school sports once a week. It is no where near the field I went to school for, nor is it the type of job I am looking for. But, it pays decent money, more than I would make working minimum wage at a restaurant. 

When I first graduated and started looking for a job, I was looking for something away from home. Not because I hate it here, I just want to see different places and start this new chapter of my life somewhere different. But after a year of searching and wanting to leave this town, I have grown accustom to the idea of staying local and getting a job near here. Even though some of my friends have moved away, I have built a solid group of friends here that I love and care about. People who have a passion for the Lord and growing His church. I help these friends lead bible studies throughout the week, we hang a lot, and just have great fellowship together. I've seen friends get engaged, married, and even have babies. It's awesome seeing God work among my friends. This has been my main reason for wanting to stay local, the established relationships and church family.

Recently I found out that my good friend, his wife, and newborn are having to move away in a few weeks for his job. Another good friend is moving away to go to seminary. Like the farm boy from George Lucas' space epic, Star Wars, I can relate to his loneliness and despair from seeing his friends leave.

Amazingly, not once in my search for a job have I ever been without hope. Ive been irritated and inpatient, sure, but never without hope. The main thing that keeps my spirits high is the fact of knowing that God has a plan for me. He's brought me this far, and I know from scripture that He will finish the good work that He started in me and bring it to competition (Philippians 1:6). It is this blessed hope and assurance that keeps me strong and optimistic. Sure, there are days that the enemy attacks me and makes me feel like I'm useless and worthless and that I will never find a job, but the Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says "do not be afraid", the Voice of Truth says "this is for my glory". Out of all the voices calling out to me,  I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.  This Voice of Truth is the same voice that spoke to me through the darkest times of my past, telling me to trust in Him and He would deliver me. He never failed me then, and He will never fail me now. He is the one constant in my life that never changes. Even though I may not know why He has me waiting so long, I still have confidence that He is working everything together for my good (Romans 8:28).

"And it may feel like 40 long days in a hard driving rain, or 40 years in a dry desert sand. But when He’s finished we will see a beautiful tapestry and know that nothing has been wasted in the end." -Steven Curtis Chapman

"I cannot tell you how long this road shall be, but fear not the obstacles in your path, for fate has vouchsafed your reward. Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation." - Blind Seer (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) 

Here is a list of verses that remind me of God's promises to us:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for The Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave or forsake you." -Deuteronomy 31:6

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." -Psalm 23:4

"The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit" -Psalm 34:18

"God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" -Hebrews 13:5