Series: Always Revelant: God is
Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG
I’ve found that it doesn’t always work for me to try to figure everything out on my own. There are times when I need to find another way to solve the problem. In other words, when I’m in a tough spot, I need to macguyverit. When I can’t readily figure out a problem I need to turn to God to ask for help. I need the kind of help to macguyverit (unconventionally solve a problem.)
As an adult, I was ministry and I moved around a lot. I served six churches in a 40 year timespan.
As a Pastor’s wife I was not paid, but I still had ministries in each church where we served. Most of the time I worked with children’s ministry. In my last church before I retired I was paid staff and I worked with worship ministry and I also served in a leadership capacity with a healing prayer ministry.
My last years before retirement were absolutely nothing like I expected.
My life took an unexpected turn.
In a million years I never would have or could have expected what happened.
In a few short months, my life completely fell apart. One day I was married, I lived in a new two story home, I had a host of friends, I had a leadership role in a church, and I started a job that had great potential.
Suddenly before my eyes, I was not married, I had to take a huge loss and sell my new home quickly and move to a small apartment, I lost all of my friends save one, and my leadership role at church was gone because I was no longer a Pastor’s wife.
The only thing I had left was my job that had great potential. And I knew I had my Mom…I could always count on my Mom. I had my kids, too but they were hurting as much as I was.
For several months I was in shock. I didn’t understand what had happened. That’s because there were things I was unaware of that happened without my knowledge.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
Even though I didn’t exactly know what happened or why, I knew I could trust God.
I knew God knew everything. I didn’t try to figure out everything, or anything on my own. There were too many things that had happened that I didn’t know about. To this day, there are still things that I don’t know about that happened during that time period.
When my dad was alive he taught me to always listen for God’s voice. He taught me to wait on God. He helped me to understand that I didn’t need to be afraid because God would be with me wherever I went.
During those dark days…my dark night of the soul I held onto the hope that God was with me wherever I went.
I did not feel the presence of God.
I could not hear God.
I couldn’t even pray in the traditional sense.
I cried a million tears.
I had my job and miraculously, every day when I walked into the building where I worked, I stopped crying and I focused on doing my job. At that point my job became my life.
The minute I left work and got into my car to drive home, the tears came back. It was like a floodgate opened when I left work and drove away.
A few months after I started my new single life I was promoted to a position at work that I loved. It was a leadership position and many many doors opened because I was promoted. It was a position that required me to solve unconventional problems. I learned when I didn’t know the answer to a problem, I needed to macguyverit.
I had to solve it in unconventional ways.
Everyday I had new problems I needed to figure out (macguyverit).
It was a great training ground. It was also important that solving hard problems kept my mind engaged. I think that’s part of the reason I didn’t cry when I went to work. And gradually, ever so gradually, I cried less and less at home.
Another miracle happened as well. Because I learned how to problem solve in unconventional ways, I was able to utilize those skills when God called me to go to Seminary.
I was 54 when God tapped me on the shoulder and said, “You’re going to Seminary.”
I thought it was a crazy idea and I argued that I was too old. God did not buy that. God reminded me of Moses. Eventually I reluctantly said I would apply. I secretly hoped and thought that Bethel Seminary would not accept my application. Much to my dismay, my application was accepted within 12 hours.
Looking back, Seminary was one of the greatest journeys of my life!
I found that God used all of my ‘practice’ from my job at solving unconventional problems in Seminary…especially in learning Hebrew.
I laugh about it now because I can see that God knew what He was doing all along.
God had everything covered.
All God needed was for me to say YES.
Spiritual Practice: Macguyverit
Solve a problem you are wrestling with in unconventional ways. Trust God to help you.
In God, Deborah
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