It has been a while
since my last update concerning my family and the ministry here in
York. I intended to have an update ready by Christmas. I intended to
keep writing articles each week on my blog. I also intended to work a
while with Clear View Cleaning. Of course, many of our intentions, no
matter how noble, hardly ever come to fruition. Plans can change and
expectations can fail. Proverbs 16:9 states, “The heart of man
plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Far
too many times we tell God we will follow Him in faith, but then end
up spending each day trying to analyze where we are headed and
striving to fully understand the why’s
of our walk.
Rather
than rest confidently in God’s love and wisdom, we want to
question His own motives for
us! We are like Israel in the wilderness quibbling over God’s ways.
What our your intentions God? Do you really know what’s
best for me? Are you angry with me and just stringing me along to
punish me? What joy would fill
our hearts, If we would just toss aside our carnal intentions and lay
ourselves on the altar of His will! No hesitations, no looking back.
As already stated, things have not gone the way I intended
them. Namely, the job situation. I hoped to work close to thirty
hours a week with the cleaning company, so that I would have better
time to prepare for church work as well. I hoped to get a loan for
housing, seeing that mortgaging can be much cheaper than renting, and
in the long run, more beneficial.
As time went on though, thirty work
hours ended up turning
into twenty. Though we had
good credit, no bank would take us seriously for a loan, because I
was not making enough. Since
Stephanie is considered self-employed with VIP Kid, they also
wouldn’t factor her income
into the equation.
If
we were to make it financially, I would
have to look for another job. But what about having time to
teach and aid in church events? Isn’t this why we came up here?
Won’t people just think we are out of the
ministry entirely? I know God
led us here. I know His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9) and
it is His purposes that will
stand (Proverbs
19:21). But this mental
knowledge must make its way to the heart and flow
forth into a daily walk.
Though I applied at
many businesses, I did not hear back from any of them. It wasn’t
long before one of my coworkers talked to her husband about my need
for another job. He went out of his way to take me to
his work, introduce me to
some of the staff, and set me up with an interview.
It
was official. I would be working at ES3. One of the largest supply
chains for groceries in America. What would I be doing? Sanitation.
Four days a week, eleven hours a day. Around 90% of those who work in
my department speak Spanish. In fact, during my training,
communication was limited to whistles, nods, and broken English. Now,
one might look at my state and say, “Wow, way to go Josh. You’re
getting paid almost half of what you used to make. You’re working a
secular job. You’re communication is limited to those who work with
you. Was it worth the move? Why are you here?”
Why?
Because, “...God,
who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ
(2Corinthians 4:6).” There are over 1300 employees at ES3. I have
had to ask the Lord to open my eyes and
see the workplace for what it is: a mission field. Fleeting fears and
temporal comforts tend to steer our hearts away from assurance and
joy in God’s plans. I must take what is given and walk in
faithfulness. I am actually thrilled to know that there are many
Spanish speaking coworkers, because it forces me to familiarize
myself with a language that I should have learned a long time ago.
Who knows what I will learn or what God has in store! May we all
learn to, “Commit (our)
way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass!
(Psalms
37:5).”
In
the past few weeks, there have been many visitors at Good News. I
have just started teaching the Teens in Sunday School and Stephanie
and I have already aided in youth work, leading music, event
preparation and more. There is such a need for the light of the
gospel here in York, but I am done trying to second guess things. I
realize that I have needed to be humbled and have needed to be
strengthened in faith. So come what may, I must trust that God is
ultimately molding me in the image of Christ. To be more like Christ
is far greater than any “good intentions” I
may try to hold onto.
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