will be making more than I made on my last job, am working for a small company with very little turnover with a team that works very well together. I report to a man I have known and respected for about 7 years and who has reiterated that the environment is flexible which I know will come in handy down the road.
and I realize this is somewhat old news by now but I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS !!!! before I read any further. I can completely relate to all the struggles and conflicts you were talking about before.
What a wonderful blessing!
SG
Survival Goddess "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." -Alice Walker
Thank you for your congratulations and yes, "what a wonderful blessing" indeed! I had not been looking even though I knew I needed to so God knocks on the door and hands me what seems like the perfect fit (based on 4 days to assessment of the pro's and the cons) for this time in my life.
Even as I have detailed all the "right" choices I have tried to make since X left, I am not entitled nor do I "deserve" any of these blessings but the God of the bible is good, loving and wants to bless His children so I gratefully accept the good (and the bad) He allows in my life.
Baby Girl "Tuck in" and prayers Just now, I tucked in my 16 y/o daughter and prayed with her as I did when she was a child, living with me. I shared some stories and some pictures from my Hawaii trip and was appreciative of the time with her. She spent the evening with a former soccer teammate who just returned home from her freshman year of college. Too soon, she will be gone as well.
Quote:
The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.
I met a pastor from the Philipines who was in Hawaii supporting the outreach and he said something profound while we casually ate a meal with the a couple of teams from the mainland and the local organizers. He said, "When we are younger we go out on mission trips anticipating that God will work through us to help others. As we get a little more mature, we realize that what is really going on on these trips is the work that God is doing to mold and change US." This from a man who sold everything here in the U.S. to move to the Philipines with his wife and young child, and who eventually adopted 27 orphaned children, one by one (He is now in his mid 40's).
God continues to lovingly mold and shape me. He did a good deal of this during the trip. I don't deserve His grace and Mercy but I gladly accept it and I am ever so thankful, ever so thankful!
Man do I feel like George Baily, It IS a wonderful life!
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
My house and the "tanked" housing values I haven't mentioned it before but my choice to work from home and use my resources to be around my kids all the time, combined with the horrible drop in property values will likely result in me losing my house. I have realized this over the last 6 months or so and the reality of the losing of the home is here, facing me now.
I couldn't anticipate losing around $125,000 in equity so rapidly, money that would be in my pocket if I had sold when X moved out. Instead, not knowing she already made plans to marry Mr. X, I refinanced, paid her her share, kept the house (letting step son live with me for virtually nothing rather than renting out his room) thinking we might reconcile. Had I known about her plans with Mr. X, I might have sold then when the market was at it's peak.
Now, anyone who reads about this aspect of my sacrifice just to be around my kids will really know how ridiculous her assertions of my being a "bad dad" really are. NEVER once did I say one thing to her about how her deception affected my financial decisions concerning the refinance of the house.
Resentment, bitteness? One would think I have every right to righteous indignation and bitterness towards her and Mr. X because of this pending loss of my home. I refuse to go down that path. All I need is some sort of roof over my head and to know that I am serving God for I am truly rich in Him and by following the steps He shows me.
Good "imaginary" friends that you all are, I know you'll share your empathy and maybe even sympathy from those who have gone through this. Thank you in advance but also know this, I have never been so assured that I am walking in the center of God's will for my life so I am at peace with whatever happens.
Even in this, I assert this will work out in a way that God receives glory. How? I don't know but you can bet I will post about it when it comes to fruition.
I STILL love my life and still feel like George Bailey!
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
well George... it is a wonderful life.... flaws and all!
I just replied to your post on my thread and I locked it up. But wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your sharing. You're an awesome guy C2 and I'm thinking that many here are blessed to count you as our virtual friends!
smooches!
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
(Thank you for the kind words. I know God is using me and it is all Him, not me because I mess things up. I'll share lessons from Hawaii to prove my point that I am VERY much a work in progress)
After about 18 mos of accountability every Sat at 6 a.m. (separates the sheep from the goats) with a group of brothers, I have learned how challenging these issues are for singles, both males and female. from some of my missions trips, I know many of the single sisters also desire to honor God yet not miss out on the "one" God has for them. As I read your post, I know the concern you have is shared by so many of the singles in my church. No one wants to miss out, be overly cautious etc.
I believe God will let us know in no unmistakeable terms when someone is Not "the one" and I have to trust that He will bring the our mate to our attention even if we aren't really thinking about them in that kind of way. This is why I explored both potential relationships and was at peace when each wound up NOT being the woman God has for me. My experience in witnessing my other friend find his wife while serving together in Romania also shows me that God will work things out ways we might never imagine. He prayed about going and stepped out in faith even though he needed money and his employer's favor in order to go. The end result was God working on both his and her hearts while serving in Romania and now they are married.
You mentioned "playdates" and the only thing I could suggest is getting together within groups to see some interaction in such a setting and also to be accountable. Amongst the singles in my church, there have been group social functions some have participated in and we have mixed in serving the congregation at other functions. Beyond that, some one on one time in public places, coffee dates seem to be the favored way to get to know the other person once there seems to be some mutual curiousity.
It will work out The Lord knows the desires of our heart and it gives Him pleasure to fulfill those desires when they are aligned with His will. If He eventually chooses not to meet those desires, I tend to believe the desires will change along the way so that in not meeting those desires, we are not disappointed when we realize our desires have changed.
Some may see my reasoning or logic as circular but I could probably find significant biblical support if I meditated on it.
Long ago, I wrote that I wanted to be so busy about my Father's business that when I wasn't thinking about "Ms. Right" she appeared without me really thinking about it. I still think the more I focus on Him, the sooner I will be ready for what He has for me.
Right now I am busy serving my Lord in any way I can and I trust He'll meet my needs and maybe this desire to one day be equally yoked.
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
May everyone have a good holiday AND offer up thoughts and prayers of appreciation for those who served and sacrificed for this country.
Jill,
Thanks for the congrats on the job, I am quite thankful for pretty much everything about it at this point. Like I mentioned in spanish (LOL) earlier. They had to fire the guy before me so, in comparison, everyone seems to be really grateful that I am now there. The guy before me did things his way and that created major problems for everyone else- me, whatever the rules, policies and procedures are, that's what I'm going to do.
"Church friend" is potential XGF#1 ( "XGF" or potential GF #2 was the more recent relationship exploration, the woman I was with over 20 years ago for a period of 2 plus years).
Church friend in alohaland- Nothing happended between us but after being together in a group for 10 days, I determined that we would clash as a couple. I also felt no spark or chemistry towards her. Before leaving on the trip, we had been at some prayer meetings and I had looked at her with a curiosity and appreciation for her passionate heart which made me wonder what might happen on the trip. However, "serving" together confrimed that I need to pursue her no further. I really care for her as one of my sisters at church but that is about the extent of it- she is an awesome woman but not the one for me.
There were three other ladies on the trip, another of which I could not see myself with either. The other two were lovely (speaking about the inside as opposed to outside) ladies that, if they were in my age range, I could see praying about pursuing. These "assessments" are more of intellectual exercises or curiosities about what qualities I now appreciate in a woman, I didn't go on this trip to find a wife .
So, I remain an eligible bachelor. (and a content one at that)
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
