I have thought a lot about the big picture in life, and the
idea of putting trust in the Lord.
I always notice people who are caught in good situations in
life thanking the Lord for their good fortune. People who have bad luck blame
their misfortunes on the higher power. It always seems so black and white
without a medium. We are all living looking at one side of the coin rather than
being on the edge of the coin where we can see both sides and how they
coordinate in this big picture we call life.
I have had some interesting experiences with my job as a
junk removal worker. This job has been a huge blessing and has allowed me to
work and provide some financial security. Over the past month, I have noticed some
discomfort in my leg, and was encouraged to get an MRI. Sure enough, my vastus
medialis (part of the quadriceps), was 80% torn. My doctor made it apparent
that the risk of tearing the muscle completely was too high, and my days as a
junk removal man were over.
This was a bit of a downer. Just as quick as I had found
this job and began to really enjoy it and see the benefits, it was taken away.
The scramble came to find a replacement and train him to take my job for me. It
was not fun picking someone to take the job I enjoyed, and it was even less
knowing I had to train them. We found a guy, he agreed to start, and I spent a
few days training him. My feeling of misfortune grew and grew.
When I was near finished on my last day of training him, my
replacement and I had a good conversation. He told me about his reaction to
getting the job. He had been thinking for weeks about leaving Arizona, and had
come to the conclusion that he had no idea what to do right now in life. He
said a prayer that he could know where he needs to be in life right now, for he
was confused. At that moment, he received an e-mail with an offer to start
working a junk removal job, the same job that I had left vacant. He knew at
that moment this was a good thing, and he felt then for the first time in a
while that he knew where he needed to be.
I thought about this. My misfortune is the answer to his
prayer? Then I thought about that statement. Misfortune? What misfortune? I
have so much to be thankful for. Sure, I am unemployed for the next month until
school starts, but at what price? My misfortune resulted in someone finding
their place. I remember when I took this job; I thought and prayed to know how
I could use this job to do the most good. I had thought I would do well by
donating useable furniture to a needy family, using my truck to clean a yard,
helping someone move. The possibilities were endless, and I did do a lot of
good. I didn’t know it at the time, but the most good I would be able to do
with that job was to give it up to someone who really needed it.
Life is strange, and it is funny how it works out sometimes.
Just remember, just as my moment of small loss was the huge gain of another,
which is so often the case. We may have to take one step back so someone else
can take two leaps forward in life. Next time you pass through a trial and take
a step back, look for who it is that you allowed to leap forward.
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