Have you ever had something happen to you that you would not wish on anyone else but you wouldn’t trade the experience for anything? Those kinds of incidents are what can shape and mold our character forever. Some people have them when they are young, while others of us don’t get them until later in life. I think those of us who don’t get them until later in life may not have been sensitive enough to see the real miracle of God as He weaves Himself into everyday life and makes things look “ordinary.” Most of us are just slow enough to need the cold water in the face to get our attention. So came a time in my Christian walk that deepened my faith and made me realize that God takes our prayers seriously.
I was employed as an executive for an American Stock Exchange company, we lived the good life with a home in a yacht club, we were members of a solid small group, faithful in our church, and tithing without fail. For some reason during a small group meeting right after New Year’s the guys were soliciting each other’s prayer request for spiritual growth through the coming year. Out of the blue, my request was “I want to be more dependent on God.” Well I have to tell you that I wasn’t really prepared for God to answer that prayer. Rick, Tom, Dean, and David were faithful and did as they were asked. I believe God had been waiting for my next step and said “He’s given us the opening we need.” Within five months the division I was a part of was broken up and sold to the distributors during Wall Street’s massive consolidations of the mid ’90s. An industry niche job like mine was virtually impossible to replace, as was the income. After 90 days I was prostrate on the floor begging God for help. The drought was to last for several years.
During the latter part of that drought, I was working a second job in the evenings. When my number was called and the pizza handed to me, I looked at the delivery address and was overwhelmed with a fear, shame, and embarrassment I had never experienced before. The address was my old home in the yacht club. Somehow I was able to make it to the car. When I arrived at the gate the guard who used to welcome me by name, passed me through so I could do what needed to be done. The event came and passed but it humbled me and forever changed my perspective.
Only later did I realize that since moving from that address I had experienced people’s love, concern, and willingness to share when my family had little. Others supported my dreams and aspirations and I discovered true friendship from friends I didn’t know I had. I had become richer than I had ever been in my life. My dependence on God had changed my whole thought paradigm. There was no quick revelation or epiphany. The change occurred slowly, over time, as I realized that when God hears us, He loves us enough to bring the circumstances and people into our lives that will forever make us better members of His Kingdom. His love and faithfulness endure forever (Psalm 117:2).
Love, Dad