Count the Lord's Blessings

There I was sitting in my car reading a book about preparing for a job interview. This little yellow sticky folded in half and laminated falls out of the book. It turn it over and it says in really nice cursive writing, "Count the Lord's Blessings." I suppose I should have known right then what the outcome of my interview would be, but I tried to read into it and come up with some interview strategy in which my answers would be focused on the blessings from the Lord that I have received in my life. One of the problems with being a hopeless optimist is that you often are blindsided by reality. Sometimes it really hurts.

Those of you that know me most likely know that I had an interview last week. Today I received the "Dear John" letter, because my name is John. No it wasn't a letter from my sweetheart back in the states telling me that she met a nice boy who works at the grocery store. It was a letter telling me that while my resume was very impressive I was not what they needed for the job. I'm not bitter at the people who sent the letter, just blindsided.

I have to say that despite the really bad feeling that I have inside right now, the situation could be much worse. My life has taken a Mighty change for the better over the past few months. I have through the Holy Spirit been awoken (not really sure if that is the correct way to put it, but you know what I mean). My priorities have become clear. Put God first in my life, then comes my promise to my wife to be by her side until the end, be a Christian father to my beautiful little girls and love everyone in my path. By filling my mornings with studying God's word, my thoughts throughout the day are more likely to be Godly than worldly. I am learning to express myself better and have confidence in myself that I didn't have before. I have continued to have a feeling in my heart that no matter what happens things will work out.

When I sat down here tonight, I was going to write about rejection and how it must have felt to be Jesus and to be rejected by your own hometown. But I was quickly reminded of the little yellow sticky. I can sit here and type all of my blessings, but it might seem as though I was bragging. I am so blessed in my life. That little note was probably some of the best interview advice I have ever received. No offense to my good buddy and my wife (she's my good buddy too) who gave me some great advice about interviewing and being prepared. But for now, I am going to sit quietly and thank God for his grace he has poured upon me in my life. My eternal vacation plans should be enough to fill me, but he has provided me with so much more.

I will get started again soon trying to find that next perfect opportunity. For now I have a good job and it will have to do until it is time for me to move on to something else.

Romans 5:1-5 (NLT) - Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Goodness, Ash Wednesday is quickly approaching thus the beginning of Lent. Will you and I really test our endurance? Better yet will we be mindful of our gift of eternal life and allow some of our worldly needs to become dead to us.

Lord, I thank you for the many ways that you continue to bless my life. I hope I did not disappoint you by being really excited about the possibility of getting a new job. Please allow me to find a way to bring you to my current job and to remember the new priorities in my life.