Rarely Early, Never Late, and Always on Time

The title refers, of course, to the fact that with my church severance (ooops, I meant to "say" compensation) package about to run out in the next couple of weeks, God came through for our family. After many months of prayers, our own and many friends, the Lord provided a full-time position for my wife, at the company she's been working at for the last ten years (almost eight as p-t), within her department, at the same pay rate. All I can say is, "PRAISE GOD!!!"

This is BIG. I will admit to several things. First, I was really hoping she was going to get this position back in September so we could start paying off all of our credit, and still have some money to put into savings. Second, as time went by, I was starting to sweat some bullets and honestly was wrestling with some profound doubts about what God was doing with me and my family. And third, the Thursday a week before Thanksgiving was like a night of spiritual burn-out for me, and I was so gosh-darn angry at God over what seriously felt like His shoving my face in dog-dookie not at all of my own making. And then, just like that, it was as if we had turned a corner. I saw it that night, and took it in, but I was nervous to acknowledge that it could be so.

Yeah, we turned a corner. I felt it; sensed it. But I was afraid to say it aloud. Fearful that my Job-ian experience wasn't quite finished. After all, where were three "good" friends to tell me what a bad person I was (wait, I had already heard from them back in the church back in June!), and was still waiting to have God humble me profoundly. He did. But this time it was through the generosity of His Saints, the real church. A group of unnamed and unknown brothers and sisters (at least to me - certainly not to God) got together on three separate occassions, and provided for us out of their pockets for our material needs - which of course go far to help sustain our spiritual needs (can you tell I don't buy into a false bifurcation of spiritual and material?). In truly taking care of our needs out of love instead of some false sense of obligation, the people of the church subversively showed the impotency of certain individuals who think they represent God as leader in the church. It's a great moment of irony that will somehow miss the pages of the next edition of Church History, but it's a great read none the less for its potency in the face of such pathetic impotency.

But that's God. He's good. All the time. And though He wasn't early, He wasn't late; He was right on time! And I praise Him for His loving kindnesses. May we turn this corner together, and give God the glory. Amen and Amen.