If I ever doubted that God still cares for His kids today, if I ever wondered if He was really interested in what goes on in our lives, I was given a resounding “YES” as an answer this week.
As I alluded to in my last post, there was a curve in the road for me this week, which turned out to be a bigger curve than I could have imagined. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up:
A friend of mine is the new superintendent at a Christian school near us. He and I know each other from my part-time gig last year leading worship at another school, where he was the middle school principal. He wanted me to come down and do the same thing at this school, to lead worship for their chapels and work with their kids. I was totally into that, but I also dropped the hint that I’d be interested in teaching history if anything was open. Come to find out, they were looking for a sixth grade history teacher. (God-thing #1)
So, Wednesday morning, I had an interview with the middle school principal. That morning, I told Amanda that I had never felt so totally unqualified for a job. She said that was the Lord’s way of letting me know that, if I got it, it was all Him! I agree with her. Well, the interview went really, REALLY well, and the principal offered me the job that day! (God thing #2)
That meant that I had to figure out what to do about my current job in advertising. My boss there also is the worship leader at my church, and he knew I was going for the interview at the school. After I called him and told him about it, we were trying to figure out when my last day would be, and how to handle the transition. In the midst of all that, my boss gets an e-mail from his boss about a mandatory meeting of all our employees for Thursday morning at 9:00.
(I lied about the making this short thing).
Thursday morning, our regional manager comes in and announces that they are closing our branch effective July 18th (which happens to be my 10th wedding anniversary). All of our 9 employees would be “terminated” in the technical lingo. While I was most definitely concerned with the others, I couldn’t help but dance a little jig inside at the timing of God in all this. (God thing #3). But wait, it gets better!
Though I’m not entitled to any severance pay due to my short length of tenure, they are giving me two weeks pay, which comes with continuation of medical benefits for the two weeks. The day the severance runs out is Aug. 1st.
That’s my first day on the job as a teacher.
God thing #4.
As I write this, I’m blown away again at how merciful, faithful, and altogether awesome my God is! I could not have dreamed the timing of all this any better than He made it work out. He has provided for us in ways I can’t really believe. And while I am praying for my friends from work, I’m also praising Him for His goodness and mercy to me, the chief of sinners.
One: He gives me mercy anew each day.
Two: He has blessed me with a wonderful wife and daughter, with another on the way.
Three: He has brought me, in a long, long route, to the place where I always wanted to be, but never dreamed I would be in. I will get to work full time at a job that makes a difference each day. I get to do ministry for a living. How freaking cool is THAT?
Four: He worked all this out according to a plan I couldn’t have paid Bruckheimer to dream up.
I could go on, but I promised this would be short. Praise His Name, my friends! If you ever doubted Him, don’t. The Lord is Good, and His mercy endures forever!
The Wading Pool 