“Pleasantly Unexpected”

I’m presently engaged in a small group Bible Study for women at my Church. The title can cause you to think, “Oh great!” (With elation, as in, “I’ll finally know how to deal with that in my life.”) Or, the title can trigger a reaction of: “Oooooh greeeaaat!” (Like a deflated balloon, igniting feelings of: “here we go again!”)

Me, I have some mixed emotions. My current situation at my workplace has recently had me reeling in a whirlwind of emotions that were slightly less than desirable (my goal was to word that properly).

Maybe you can relate, Girlfriend ~~ being passed up again for a career opportunity (or at least, I thought of it that way) ~~ and I could bore you with all the particulars about why I have enough qualifications to easily put me there ~~

But God …

MMHMM … there are those two most amazing words in the Bible …

Ministered to me one morning ~~ the morning I was very disappointed and depressed about the situation ~~ through the reading of His Word during my regular morning meeting with Him.

Genesis 31:38-42 “For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food. If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night. “I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times! In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!” 

You see, Girlfriend, I have been with my current employer for more than 20 years (as was Jacob with Laban).  Details that I won’t mention here concerning wages and performance and duties … all seemed too close to the parallel lines in Scripture.

Needless to say, my eyes filled with tears as I read this conversation between Jacob and Laban.  And then I realized the  Promise.  The same Promise that awaited Jacob as long as he continued in fellowship and obedience to God Almighty.

And my heart began to melt into tiny little pieces.  I found myself humbly asking God for forgiveness ~~ for the audacity to believe I knew better ~~ and even beyond that, for relying on my own efforts to make my way possible.

Shake me silly next time I do that!

I had thought that I knew what was best, and felt I needed to be vindicated for a “wrong” done unto me.  When in fact, the “wrong” was me!  And the forgiveness needed to be asked from God for my behavior.

I tend to take things into my own hands ~~ when I really should place them into God’s Hands for proper handling.

This group Bible Study began the evening after my tender encounter with The Lord.  I have a feeling my personal Journey is going to be very interesting this Season …

Stay tuned, Girlfriend ~~ it’s highly possible that the caterpillar will not be the only one transformed this spring!

I love you to Heaven and Back ~~

LindaRJohnson 

T2T Visionary