My wife and I were baptized this past June together. Other than being an awesome experience together it has brought us closer. My daughter, pictured during Vacation Bible School, became such an inspiration to us both.
I hope you enjoy and God Bless you all.
My story is similar to many
others. I was raised in a loving house
in which my parents and I attended church nearly every Sunday then off to
Sunday school and youth group. I remember
always knowing about Jesus Christ and trusting him, but I wasn’t always
convinced what His role would be in my life.
I wasn’t perfect but I was a good kid, I did the right things, I was
nice to people and respected my elders with “Yes Sir” and “Yes Mama”. I had it all figured out.
Enter college. I had everything planned. I was going to graduate with a degree by 21,
check. I would establish myself in my
career before I ended up getting married, check. Married by 25, check. Have my first child before 30, check
again. Everything was going right. I kept reaching for that next ring. And after having my son, I knew in my head
that next ring was financial security through making more money. If I could financially get here we would be
fine. My wife could stay home, raise our
kids, my life would continue to go on as I planned. I wasn’t greedy with the amount…wasn’t
praying to win the lotto; I knew the amount we needed to make it. Over the next 4 years I would chase that
ring. I jumped at every single
opportunity that was put in front of me to get there and to get out of another
one. This desire introduced me to people
and situations that took me down a path of greed, anger, disappointment, a lack
of confidence and major frustration. I
started questioning what I had done to deserve this. I did everything right up to this point. Why?
Why now? For 4 years I
voluntarily walk deeper into a dark tunnel and during this time I’d pray, but
kept praying a prayer to Jesus letting him know “I’ve got this. You’ve got more important things on your
plate. I’ll be fine, just watch over my
family and keep them safe. I’ll figure
this out.” The week before Thanksgiving
2007, it all crashed in on me. As a
contract advisor with a small company I was told that they were going in a
different direction and didn’t need me anymore, income gone. Driving home that same day with a lump in my
throat I received a call from a recruiter on a possible job opportunity. After the pleasantries he informs me that
they were going another direction too.
After years of ‘having it under
control’, I had no idea what just happened.
All I know is that it was completely unraveling and fast. It took a couple days to finally sink
in. A couple months before all of this
we started attending Wadsworth Community Church (now known as Freshwater) and
the pastor (knows as Scott Brooks) was spending a lot of time on 1st
Samuel. I could relate to the sermon and
questioned myself if the Lord was speaking to me, but like Saul, I was hearing
what I wanted to. One afternoon, in
early December Ryann was at work and my son at the sitters so I could be on the
phone, reaching out to contacts and old acquaintances looking for job
opportunities. I was getting nowhere but
I had people ‘praying for me.’ At this
point going into Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was losing all hope for a quick
response. I was beaten down and
lost. I became so overwhelmed with
emotion, recognizing my sins by putting my faith in earthly things. I finally fell to my knees in my family
room. I remember sitting there looking
skyward, tears welling up in my eyes and praying, “Jesus…I’m done. I can’t do it anymore without you. I need you and I need you right now.” My walk with Jesus Christ was one where I
wanted to be in front. I wanted to
lead. I wanted to hear what I wanted to
hear. Right then at that moment it felt
like He grab me by the wrist, like a Father figure before their child walks
into the street, and a sense of relief that He could lead rather than walk from
behind came over me.
One week later I had 2 job offers,
one south of Syracuse New York and another one near Cleveland. The one in Syracuse, NY was enticing and they
offered me more money to go there than any other offer over the past 4
years. The money made it very
attractive. For many reasons this wasn’t
going to work and I took the lesser paying local job. I was done chasing that money ring. Something told me I needed to stay here. I was blessed with this job, albeit the
challenges it presented at the time. He
had answered prayer and He had provided.
About a month into this new job I found out that my family would be
blessed with a new addition.
Even with my renewed faith hard
times continued and I wanted to take control again. You would think I would have learned my
lesson and after 4+ long years in a very dark place, I did and I kept coming
back to moment in my family room. I will
be patient and I will let him move me when he’s ready. Another 4 years passed, and I was no longer
driving from Wadsworth to Rocky River.
An opportunity was presented to me in Fairlawn. He moved me again, and allowed me to do more
for Him. I’ve gotten involved with some
great people here at Freshwater. Ryann
and I got involved with a Small Group, I became a co-coordinator for Financial
Peace University and started a Men’s Fit Club here for guys who wanted to be a
part of a group of believers and lose weight too.
More than 6 years have passed since
that moment and I have been patient as to why I had to go through what I did to
get here. Last year our small group
spent time studying the book of James.
After all this time of why and when, we read James 4: 13-15, “Now
listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend
a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen
tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little
while and then vanishes. Instead, you
ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or
that.”
I
had it all figured out and I was so wrong.
Jesus Christ has been so patient with me and shown me so much over the
past several years, but even more over the past 24 months. It’s amazing what He will show you when your
heart and eyes are open to Him. I know
there is so much more. I want God to
turn my ‘mist’ into a wave of his will and his desire.
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