And Here I Glow...

Two words…Mixed. Feelings.

I was happy as heck and slightly panicked at the same time.

“This sucks financially, but it also provides a great sigh of relief and peace of mind.”

That was my response to my CEO telling me that I was being laid off.  And just like that, I was set free. Set free from working for the client I was assigned to… THANK GOD!

Oddly enough I was giving all kinds of praises to the LORD.  It was like I was being released from a bondage of sorts.  I was so glad that I was being released from working with individuals that were devious in their work ethic, and carried many, many alternative motives with them on the job; many lies and deceit.

Anyway, what was I going to do now?  Well, by the grace of God, because it was considered a lay-off, I was eligible for unemployment while looking for a new position…and then the Great Government Shutdown happened.  It lasted for a solid month and it set-back the whole industry, private and public sectors, and hiring was not at an all time high (as you can imagine).  Nevertheless, I still kept moving forward, applying to jobs, and accepting the occasional interview invite.

This is the first week that my income has been $0.00. Yet, I still send praises to God and I cultivate that relationship each day because I know he will restore me and place me in an environment where I’ll be appreciated and seen as truly helpful and valuable to those around me, and vice versa.

Let us fast-forward to how I got here in the first place.

My salary was a pretty hefty one; hustling and bustling to make the mighty dollar and buy a home for my family; all while being consumed in the rat race of:

• overworking (many, many demands here);
• commuting (traffic and outrageous traveling/ez-pass and parking costs);
• dating (I don’t get out much);
• parenting (dealing with kindergarten behaviors and just trying to provide, and be patient, and not miss deadlines);
• paying bills (or trying to);
• planning my life (wanting to go on trips and vacations to relieve tensions and enjoy life);
• and tiring myself out (often ate out and rarely cooked a thing)

I inadvertently distanced myself from God’s purpose for me.

I didn’t completely pull the plug and disconnect from his grace, but I certainly didn’t go out my way to stay close either. And I was reminded; very suddenly and sharply.  9 years of corporate hustling gone out the window for a much needed and proper restoration.

Do not overwork to be rich;

Because of your own understanding, cease! - Proverbs 23:4 NKJV

 And cease I have done!

 Its not that we should not prosper in our financial life, but we shall remember that we cannot serve two Masters.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Matt. 6:24 NKJV

In other words, Who is your God?  Wealth (money and things)? Or God?

The Book of James has A LOT to say about this topic.  He places the proper prospective on how we should view life, especially in regard to riches.

James speaks of how we typically view money versus what the biblical Word says about money and it’s rightful priority in the lives of God’s believers; when giving wealth priority over God, it will demonstrate its instability just for you.  Below is a *chart comparing the World’s view versus the Word’s view on wealth & riches.

Biblical Perspective of Rich and Poor:

Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

but the rich in his humiliation,

because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass;

Its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. 

So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.  - James 1:9-11 NKJV

By humility and fear of the LORD

Are riches and honor and life.  - Proverbs 22:4 NKJV

How so very important to remember those verses!  A simple humbleness and fear (healthy fear) of the LORD will ensure everything you could ever imagine, and more.  As long as you are willing to do what God places in your heart to do, and you actually Obey His instruction, He will do what He already knows you cannot do (usually an act of the supernatural in the aspect of opening windows of opportunities which would seem impossible for the average person to fathom).

The Lord can, will, and does bless people in their quests but only after they have decided to seek Him first.  I speak of this from experience.  Remember, God can use ANYTHING to fall in accordance to His plan for your life and the future of this world, even if you are headed down the wrong path, He can always use it for His plans for you and help turn you around, even in the case of a lay-off, or worse.  Trust me, I know firsthand!  More to come on this great testimony of restoration and redemption.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jer.29:11-13 NKJV

Pray to the LORD your God in all that you do, and smile while you do it!

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. - Proverbs 19:21 NKJV

A family friendly way to put Prov.19:21 into context is to gather everyone around the t.v. to watch the movie Evan Almighty.

‘Til Monday, Stay Real.