July 6, 2009
What? What do you mean I didn’t get the job? It was mine – they all wanted me to be there. It was perfectly suited to me. How could God do this? And that simple announcement began a change of faith in me. You see, I began to realize that my faith was in “what God would do”, not in “who God is”. Let me explain…
I had graduated from UBC, got married, went to Bible School, moved to Winnipeg to be with my brother and the church in Winnipeg, and was working in business as an Account Executive. However, I had always believed that the Lord wanted me to teach, so I resigned from my position and went back to university to get my teaching degree. For my final practicum I was teaching phys ed, business and history at a high school. I had already volunteered at this school for 3 years and had coached the football team, so the kids, and the Athletic Director, knew me. For my business course I brought in a former client – the founder of Dickie Dee Ice Cream – who put on a seminar on Entrepreneurship, and gave away free ice cream. And, the history teacher who I was working with was retiring that year. All three of the teachers I was working with went to the administration and asked for me to be hired. “Don’t lose this kid.” “Whatever you have to do, do it and hire him.” The history teacher even told the admin to hire me to replace him. So, I thought I was a shoe in for a job at this school. But God had other plans.
I ended up substitute teaching for 6 month before I got a term contract. My heart still jumps when I hear a certain kind of phone ring. However, this was all part of an elaborate divine plan to shift my faith to more solid ground. I think we all know that God doesn’t always do what we think He should. That’s why our faith needs to be in “who He is” not what we think He will do. We must know that no matter what the circumstances may be, He remains the same. He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, love, truth, life, eternal, immortal, invisible, infinite, merciful, generous, spirit, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and immutable. We can always trust in His great goodness and His good greatness, even though what we see doesn’t make sense. One day it will.
Make sure you faith is built on the rock of who Jesus is. Who He is, doesn’t change.
Hebrews 13:8
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Strength and courage,
David