I GOT MY *SS KICKED — THIS IS WHAT I HAD TO DO
‘We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.’ 1 Corinthians 10:13
When I read this verse two things pop into my head. The first is, “yah, no 💩 we will all endure times of testing.” The second is, “well what if He doesn’t?” What I mean by that is, “what if God doesn’t come through? What if there isn’t a way of escape for me?”
I know, it seems pessimistic — sorry.
It’s just what initially pops in my brain. For me, I think about others who “aren’t” making it. Those who are getting crushed by life, fear, disease or trauma. What about them?
And then I have to bring it back to MY WALK and my FAITH journey. I’m not the referee of life — that’s God’s job. I just have to trust — and THAT — to trust an invisible God, can be one of the hardest things for you and I to do.
A few years back when we first moved from Chicago to Sydney — I had to really figure out what this verse meant to me.
I was looking for work everyday. I was living in a continent I had never lived in before. Everything was so different than back home in the USA. I thought initially I would be fine — but after several weeks of not landing a job — it hurt. I mean, really f’n hurt — like crying hurt almost every day.
“I was like — God, WTF? What’s going on here? Aren’t you my provider? Don’t you love me? I thought I was highly favored? I thought the way of the generous gets larger and larger — WTF is going on?
I was going through every positive Bible verse ever written. I was acting like trials don’t visit Christians. It was a miss on my part.
A month went by — no job.
Then two months went by — no job.
This was a real f’n trial. No money coming in — living in a foreign country with a wife and two babies. 💩 got real — real quick. I was doubting my talent — BIG TIME.
In the third month, while I was on a bus heading to a job interview — the God idea hit. The idea was, “what if I stopped selling my resume and started selling myself?”
I started my own business and the rest was history.
But man — those three months were really f’n tough. I was scared AF. I had so much self doubt during that time — I thought I had made the wrong decision to move to Sydney with my family. It really, really sucked.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger
Looking back now, the struggle did make me stronger. I know we all hear it or say, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It’s an easy thing to say — but when you feel like you’re dying — it’s the worst thing to hear. LIKE — THA WORST!
There did come a point when I felt like I needed to “give up”. What I mean by that is, “I had to trust God.” I had to let go of all the striving and doing — and rest in the pain. There was nothing else I could do.
I had to place the whole situation in God’s hands. And WTF does that even mean? It’s the churchiest phrase EVER. What it means to me is, “I’ve got to let God do his thing on his schedule — not my schedule.”
Here’s a few things I did to keep my sanity during that time.
1. I prayed every day
I nailed down a list of Bible verses that were speaking to my situation. I printed them out, laminated them and placed them in my shower. Every single day — I spoke those affirmations in the shower.
‘“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ‘ Deuteronomy 8:18
‘And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. ‘ Deuteronomy 28:13
‘For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.’ I Corinthians 2:16
2. Get out and think
If I wanted a different result, I needed to change what I was doing. As much as I wanted to sit on my computer all day and search for jobs — their was only so much I could do.
I began taking time to walk outside. I would either pray or think of other ideas that could jump start my future. I asked God a 💩 ton of questions during these times? I can’t say He answered all that much — but sometimes, you just need to ask the questions anyway.
I’d ask stuff like, “what am I not doing God? Who should I be meeting or talking with? What would you do?” Stuff like that.
Another thing that really stuck in my head was something my father in law, Pat Mesiti says, “use all the brains you got and all the brains you can borrow.” Wisdom is all around us — use it, find it — search for it.
3. Be grateful
The Bible says, “let everything that has breath — praise the Lord.” Well, I had breath — thank God for that. I also had a great family, friends, mentors and a place to live and so much more.
Take time every single day to thank God for what HAS BEEN PROVIDED. It’s a small thing that rewards so much. I love what Zig Ziglar has to say about it, “Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining — it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems.” Zig Ziglar
4. Share your wisdom
When you’re out of work — you have more free time. So, I volunteered at church. I used the skills God gave me to help serve. This did a couple things for me.
It kept my skills sharp and allowed me to share my knowledge. It also gave me confidence that WHAT I was doing — was needed. The issue wasn’t my skills, it was matching those skills with the right company, the right people. I knew it was only a matter of time till something would click.
‘Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”’ Luke 6:38
That’s a few things that got me going. You’re doing better than you think you are — keep your head up.
