Do The Work

I wish I could say I had the same faith during my financial trail as the woman in a story that my sister once told me.  The woman stepped out on faith in pursuit of her dream career. Like other testimonies I have heard, the result of her faith was not immediate reward. She instead fell on trying times. She was out of work for almost two years, but she kept believing and trusting God and now she is fulfilling her destiny, doing well financially and her trial brought her closer to the Lord.

I went through a financial trial where I was out of work for nearly one year. I expected God to use my many gifts and talents to make room for me (Proverbs 18:16). But that didn’t happen. (You are welcome to read the full story here). I have been trough a number of trials in my lifetime. And, although I face each with the same God, my response to each challenge and the way that I handle it is not the same, unfortunately. In this trial I was frustrated and felt betrayed. I was like the Psalmist in Psalm 73, “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.” (Verses 21 & 22)

Psalm 73:1 – 14 & 21-22

¹Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.

² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
    I had nearly lost my foothold.
³ For I envied the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.
⁵ They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace;
    they clothe themselves with violence.
⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice;
    with arrogance they threaten oppression.
⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
¹⁰ Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.
¹¹ They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

¹² This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.
¹⁴ All day long I have been afflicted,
    and every morning brings new punishments

²¹When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
²² I was senseless and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast before you.

Years later I am able to see that time in my life from a new perspective. Where in the beginning I had only God to blame for my misfortune, today I value the lessons from my mistakes. There were things that I expected would happen right away, but didn’t. And although I was once angry with God for taking me through this, I realize there were many things that I did in error: things like trading stocks and entering into a contract with a company without first doing the proper research and due diligence. I should have really taken my time to learn the businesses and its environments that I desired to get into. So much time, money and disappointment was lost for lack of wisdom and restraint. I was driven by my anxiousness.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)

I’ll be the first to tell you that I did not want to do the work – I just wanted to create – I still do. But, I have grown in appreciation for my waiting. I see it now as resting…standing in the presence of God. I often attempt to go from the starting line to the finish line of my goals without running the distance of the race. Why is that? Why would I choose to think in that manner when nothing I have ever done in life has gone that way? In reality, I have to do the work. I have to take the time. If I desire to have a deeper relationship with God, I have to be willing to take the time to spend with Him. I have to choose to read my bible; I need to take the time to pray. I have to do the work. If I want to be a good artist/actor/performer, I need to take the time to learn my craft. I need to dedicate time to study and practice and be great. Even people with natural ability take the time to develop their gift and here I am thinking that it should just happen through osmosis while I sleep at night. I have to do the work. If I want my marriage to thrive or my hair and body to look the way that I desire, I have to give it the tender love and care that it needs. I need to commit my heart and mind to the task. That’s a lot of work. I understood this when I ran track for years. I beat my body and I made it my slave. I trained to win. But then I left it all on the track, my lessons in discipline included.

I need to adopt the frame of mind of a wise man named Luis. Luis is one of the real estate brokers on the TV show ‘Million Dollar Listing – NY’. After making what may have been his first big deal he said with great enthusiasm, “I knew all it would take was hard work and dedication!” I was floored. Luis goes into the game already knowing the high level of commitment, dedication and study it will require to accomplish his goal. He welcomes it with open arms; he embraces it and is excited about it. With that approach, I believe that he can find rest and peace in the midst of his hard work. If we embrace that attitude in all of our work, I believe that we can live out Ecclesiastes 5:18, “This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them – for this is their lot.” Instead of giving up on a dream because getting there is a little harder than we expected, we can meet the obstacles head on and get there. I knew all it would take was hard work and dedication! I have to do the work.

In the end the prize is more than reaching the goal that I aimed for, it is the person who I become a long the way. I may not even want anymore what I set out to get in the first place. But, who will I be when I get there? I love what the Bible says in James 1:4,“ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I have to do the work.

When I begin to feel discouraged, I can have peace knowing that the same God is present and at work with me in every situation that I face. I choose to find courage from the challenges of my past. I remember what God has done and rest in knowing that He is the same Holy God who was and is and is to come (Revelation 4:8).

Psalm 71 cont.

¹⁵If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply
¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.

²³Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;
    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

I will be honest. I do not welcome struggles. I do not look for challenges in life, but I no longer go after a dream expecting that everything will just happen to fall into place on its own. I view life in a more practical sense. I choose to do my part and wait for God. So that I can echo David’s words in Psalm 40: 1-5

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

⁴ Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders you have done,
    the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.

At the end of the day, it is not about me. Whether I win or lose, if I achieve all that I go after or not, it is about God being glorified and getting His due honor.