Time and time again I learn just how exciting and fulfilling of an adventure walking with Jesus truly is. It's really such a shame that many of us overlook who He is and how incomparably majestic His heart and plans are. Most of the time there is a grave need for us to refocus and understand that having a relationship with Jesus is far and quite different from being a mere religious act because religion is (wo)man's attempt to reach God while Christianity is about focusing and responding to what God has already done long ago to save us. Ultimately, this is my dare to all who read this today - that you stop in your tracks and open your eyes to see God's Hand in your life. And when you do, respond!
The Windy City: waiting for a lunch meeting on a rooftop of an institution in Chicago!
Story time!
Friends, this is a story of old. This is not the first time God has come through for one of His children. If you scour Youtube or even this journal, you will see so many testimonials about how God comes through for many people. But in a way, this story is also a new one in that it just happened recently to me a couple of weeks ago at work. And yes, God was at work at my workplace again. Literally.
This is a story about how our all-powerful God said no to one of my prayers and granted the desire of my heart in His time, making me ready to receive His grand blessing in the process. Was it easy? To my impatient human heart, absolutely not! I definitely dared ask questions, forgetting my place and where I should stand in the presence of a Holy God. So here I write another musing sharing what I witnessed and what I learned.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here do not reflect the position and policies of of the organizations I have worked for, including my current organization and network. Logos and other key details have been blurred.
Encouragement Reaches Miles: Talking to youth leaders about educational opportunities and the immeasurable benefits of academic and cultural exchanges
In the past 24 years, I have worked for about six years in total both part-time and full-time ever since my dad left my mother and I. And I honestly feel like I can write a thick book about the ins and outs of being a young female professional in the workplace at this point because of the sheer amount of challenges and tricks I have come to know. I am sure there is so much to be discovered still! Thankfully, God has made things known to me through His Word and the awesome leaders and friends He has sent my way!
But, surprisingly, even though I am able to use the Word of God to make effective decisions about my work life, finances, relationships, and so on, there are times when my reading comprehension and judgment prove to be so fickle that I unfortunately miss out on God's promise.
Have you been there? Believing something so strongly and working so hard to get it but later realizing that you missed out on making it about God.
We are all so need- and self-centered sometimes that we forget whatever God's will is, it is also for our benefit. Sometimes when I catch myself trying to serve my will instead of God's, I ask myself, "Grace, when are you ever going to learn that you are not the source of what is right and good? It's God! So why try and insist on making things happen to your life when you do not know what it will lead you to experiencing?"
Hebrews 12:2 says, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
It doesn't say our name there so why do we play god many times? That is like a pot telling the potter how to make it look good. That's ridiculous! We will never know better. And we must therefore give what is due to God - all glory, honor, and praise. And of course... trust. If we do not put our faith in Jesus, He will still be God. But we will surely hurt ourselves in the process of denying God His rightful place in our lives because we, by default, will surely place someone, a false god, or something else in the position of Jesus in our lives. As a result, something will always be missing and we will feel empty and restless.
Unless we know who Jesus - the one, true living God - is, we will never understand what it means to have the kind of faith that will lead us to the truth and the kind of joy only God provides because the object of our faith will always be on a changing person, a temporary pleasurable plan and goal, a religion created by men, or a thing that may very well be asking for a bunch of good deeds or requirements to be done for us to earn a place in the next life. This is not an act of a generous and loving God because in the presence of a Holy God, none of us is good yet we have been saved.
Romans 3:10 says, "As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one."
Salvation rests on Jesus alone. The sacrifice has been done thousands of years ago. We are called to receive it. And when we do, our natural response is to serve God with all our time, talent, and resources whether we are at work, at school, or at home.
My Work Life
One of the things I strive to live by as much as possible is to serve God at work and not just my human masters. I am not able to uphold this perfectly at all times but I noticed that any anxiety and challenge I often face are swept away quite easily whenever I refocus on Jesus and surrender to Him.
Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,"
To let you in a bit to my life, the nature of the job I have at the moment is quite demanding. It entails traveling, strategic planning, programming, and building relationships with people from different parts of the world. On average, I interact with about half a hundred people on a not-so-busy month.
After meeting hundreds of people in international education at this point - many of whom have oh-so-big credentials and experience in the field, I have come to realize that I am pretty disposable (work-wise). There is always someone out there who can take my position and continue the work that I do. The way how they may hypothetically accomplish the work that I do may be different but the result will nonetheless be somewhat similar or should be somewhat the same.
With this in mind, it becomes clear that there is no real, permanent value to our role in the workplace. It's very fragile. It depends on the demand. It depends on the economy. And it depends on the people we work for.
This is why among my biggest prayers for my work life is favor. And this is a secret to work success (not-so-secret if you have read the Holy Scriptures) - relying on God to be seen favorably by others. Joseph the Dreamer is a great example! His story reveals how God has granted Joseph favor in the sight of men whether He worked for the prison warden or the Pharaoh of Egypt. By the same vein, knowing that the workplace is not my source of security but God often motivates me to always ask Him for favor so that I can work with people no matter what their motives, desires, plans, or biases may be. Everyone has those! It is a supernatural thing to be seen favorably by key stakeholders in society. But from what I have seen and experienced, God makes it possible!
Proverbs 3:4 says, "Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."
Lasting favor is from God alone. This is why when I receive messages like this, especially during or at the end of tough-call type of missions and projects with a lot at stake. I know it is from God alone. Amazing, isn't it?! If we split hairs, my non-existent charm has nothing to do with it. It is favor in the sight of others granted by God that I often get to see in action! Others think it is my doing but that actually couldn't be further from the truth.
A Time for Reaping Fruits
Before the quarantine started, I worked on a two-day program for the thought leaders and policy makers of a key government agency. The program was rated extremely high by all who attended. For the first time in history, the highest stakeholders in this agency came together and attended the event to provide much needed insights and support. It was truly a wonderful and unmerited favor from the Lord.
It was not the first time when I had seen God do something like this in my life. Time and time again He has blessed the works of my hand so generously for as long as it was offered up to Him. And I could not help but think of Joseph.
Genesis 39:2 (NLT) says, The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.
Whether Joseph the Dreamer was sold into slavery, imprisoned, or serving an Egyptian master, Joseph found success and favor because of God. And this favor is that which I seek from God as much as I can because apart from Him, what is truly the point of doing well in this world where accomplishments are fleeting and success cannot prolong our life? All would be vanity without God!
So when my higher-up praised the works I did for the past months and asked if there was a way I can be recognized for those, I took it as an opportunity to do what Joseph did when he took the opportunity God presented for him to put his talents to use:
Genesis 40:14 (NIV) says, "But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison."
So I did just that. But when this opportunity came about, I did not pray without ceasing. I prayed about it a few times with the intention of reaping what I thought I deserved but it was very ill-placed as I did not depend on God but instead waited for the moment of rejoicing.
And worse, I forgot to put the Will of God above mine. The default state of my mind was no longer on God but the busyness of life and that oh-so-sweet moment when God grants the reward I know He promised.
Lo and behold, a couple of weeks passed and I did not get it. Cue sad music.
God is really on-point with His messages, isn't He? Though disappointed, I understood and accepted it. But I couldn't really completely let it go because I lacked understanding. So what did I do? I then of course talked to Jesus in prayer and asked why. Then in prayer, the answer was made known to me. To sum it up, it is something I have missed out on understanding before from the following:
1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him."
And here's another one:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I don't know what to tell you guys. I told you. My reading comprehension and understanding really fall flat sometimes. But, thankfully, God disciplines His children out of love.
After realizing the error of my ways and knowing for sure that I had a heart problem clearly reflected on the ill-placed will in my self-centered heart, I lifted this request up to God once more.
For roughly five months, I kept praying for it way more than before - still nowhere near as regular as I had hoped but in each time that I did, I did so sincerely and surrendered it to God. Never once did I lose an ounce of sleep over it or decided to not work as hard because I have not been granted any reward for going beyond what I thought I am called to do. And it was in those moments when God assured me that He sees my efforts in where He called me to be productive and I am to continue that so I can become who He intends me to be.
It's funny because at work we have an ongoing joke that I seem like a workaholic because of the amount of stuff I work on - sometimes even during the wee hours of the morning. But it is my prayer one day that it becomes clear that those are not mere attempts to check of something off my to-do list (because I don't think any 20-something year-old person will find work pleasurable) but it is a conscious effort to make the most out of the time God is calling me to make a positive change through work. Personally, I think that there is such great value when we recognize that it is never going to be about what happens at work or what happens between us and a colleague that will truly matter but about whether or not we attempt to please God through the job He has granted us.
Good News!
Yes, there's a good news! We should know by now that God never changes.
Number 23:19 says, God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Prayer is not to change God's heart because there is no darkness in it. Why change it? It is prayer that changed my heart. It changes our hearts... all the time.
My last prayer prior to me hearing the result of five months of praying with no human effort from my end to make anything happen was this: Jesus, thank you for everything you have so generously given me despite my unworthiness. Thank you for calling me to do good work! I don't know who I am going to be once I get this honor I have been praying for and I honestly do not need it. It's nothing but a bonus out of all the beyond incredible things you have generously given me. If it will take me far away from you and change me into a self-righteous person, please do not grant it and help me accept it gracefully. I will continue to do good work because you have designed me for that. But if getting that honor will bring glory to your Name, I accept it and look forward to using it for your glory.
I had no idea it was this prayer on the midnight of my birthday that would bookend my journey in praying without ceasing about this matter. The next day, I received a message and a call from my even-way-more-excited-than-me higher-ups at work that they received the news that I GOT the award, which is given each year to 12 outstanding foreign service nationals that excelled in his or her field of work! And it was the first time that someone from my specific line of work ever got one.
James 1:17 says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
After my best effort to mum's the word until my words suffice to use this whole thing to point back to the goodness of God, an organization-wide meeting for the hundreds of employees like me was held. Our big boss announced the award and ultimately showed favor by sharing that he is familiar with the work I do and that he considers it great work.
It truly renders me speechless how God provides and develops our heart in the process of waiting. If we are to look carefully at God's fingerprint. We will see how pure and unchanging it is since time immemorial. We will see how He has developed the heart of Abraham to follow instructions without knowing the specifics of the future since He will have to surrender his hold on things he is not meant to know as the father of many nations, how God prepared the heart of Moses so he would truly care for the then stiff-necked people of Egypt for many years even during the toughest of times, and how God has prepared the heart of Paul so that his personal encounter with Jesus will make it impossible for Paul to ever turn his back on the truth ever again even if his earthly life is at risk.
Knowing God, He always goes above and beyond to bless us and make His glory known. And He did just that throughout the duration of this incredible celebration of His goodness. When this news reached our main office overseas, this update was considered notable out of several nations' report on international education. What a great testimony to God's abundant love and grace!
Conclusion
Sometimes we think life is a series of odds and coincidences. If you think this way, I invite you to look at my life and see how the puzzle pieces fit together so well. I am actually pretty confident that His hands are at work in your life too! And how I wish I could hear those stories in God's appointed time! If you don't see it, 100%... you got blinders on. Try it for a day. Try reaching out to Him and ask Him to reveal who He is when your mind and heart are free from presumptions. And get ready for how far it takes you.
To end, it is my prayer that we see work as a privilege: to serve God using our talents, skills, and time. When God lets waves of challenges, errands, and opportunities come our way, those are matched with a purpose so we have to be ready. And when we pray, it is my hope that it will become consistently clear to us that we are to align our will with God's because Jesus our Lord is the author and perfecter of faith.
When God reveals in John 10:10 that,
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
...Jesus is telling us here that He came to save us from something. Salvation is not an accessory to life.
We are very much in need of it whether we realize it or not because there are threats and consequences to the sin that we have let into our lives. And even more, there is a spiritual warfare going on where the real enemies are not people but the devil that makes wars and hatred grow so strongly in this world. The thief will neither walk around Earth visible to the eyes of his prey nor wearing a sign that says "I will distract you from God's desire for you to have an abundant life." Our pitfall may be in the vain things we enjoy for the moment and it may very well be in our homes already just like what is illustrated in this work of Charles Allan Gilbert:
So be alert! 1 Peter 5:8 says,
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Want to know more about the truth of the Word of God? It will surprise you how relevant it is in all aspects of life. So I strongly encourage us all to take time off Netflix and the routine of opening and closing then opening those social media apps again and again for a bit and check out this video or do some more truth discovery using this.
All glory to God!
Cheers and more soon,
Grace
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