I always feel blessed when something major happens to us on a date which commemorates a religious event on the Church calendar. Back in 2005, when we decided to move to a place of our own in the Philippines, the date fell on Pentecost Sunday. Now, when we moved to our apartment here in the US, it was August 15, the Assumption of Mama Mary. Then last week, my much-awaited job started on September 8, the Birthday of Mama Mary. I don't believe in coincidence. For me, these are signs of heavenly blessings.
But one would think, how can I feel blessed when it took so long for me to process my license and get the job. We arrived here last June 14 and I only got my Ohio nursing license on September 1. It was a long wait. But I know things happen for a reason. And usually, only time would reveal where wisdom lies. You only realize the whys when you begin to look back and see how the puzzles fitted to create a perfect picture.
I saw how that waiting period was necessary so that my husband and I could do the research for schools for the kids, for a place for us to stay, have time to adjust to a life without maids, relax as a family, and even sit for our driver's license exam. I knew when I started to feel the routine while I cleaned our place, that the job was coming. And at exactly the first day of September, as I expected it to come, I got my license number. Things started to happen fast where my employment was concerned. And before I knew it, I was already sitting in a small classroom with three other new hires undergoing the orientation for dialysis nursing.
But looking back, I had my doubts as well regarding my employment. There were times when I would get news that there was no opening here in this city and I may have to consider relocating. And there were even options being suggested to me that I should look up other employers so that I can undergo the training while waiting for my license. And in these times, I had to rely heavily on listening to where the Spirit is leading me. As always, it was easy to know. Because I was given the grace to wait. I think that is one peculiar thing about discerning God's will. If you really wanted to do His will, you are given the grace to do it. The waiting period could have easily made me impatient and I could have insisted on looking for somewhere else to work but that did not happen. I just knew deep inside that I had to wait and that things will happen at the right time. That is what I call Grace.
That word "Grace" is not commonly understood by people. I just got to appreciate that word when I stayed some time with the discalced Carmelites in the monastery. There I learned that Grace is something that is freely given from above. It makes you act in a manner which is beyond what your human nature would have made you do. When you are able to keep yourself from making a biting remark when normally you would do it automatically, that is Grace. When you hold yourself, when normally your strong personality would have insisted for your rights and something good comes out of that action, that is Grace. When you admit your mistakes when you usually do not, that is Grace. And acknowledging the Grace of God is the key to humility because you know that you are only capable of doing good because the Spirit is at work in you. And I believe that the only reason why I had so much patience waiting for my license and just accepting things as they are, not fretting about our finances or the lack thereof, is pure Grace.
And while we were living under God's provisions we came to appreciate how He made us financially literate to prepare us for this season of our lives. We learned that we needed to have 3-6 months' worth of living expenses as emergency fund. They say that for employees it is 3 months worth of living expenses and for self-employed it has to be 6 months' worth. Even though we never thought that we would ever find ourselves being "unemployed" we followed this financial advice. And that emergency fund saved us during these last four months of unemployment. And I came to appreciate how God instructed Joseph to advice the pharaoh of Egypt to save 1/5 of the produce during the rich harvests so they could have something for the years of famine. That is just what we did... saved 20% of our income and paid ourselves first.
Seeing how this saved us, we intend to continue doing that same practice of paying ourselves first because obviously the Bible did not mention that story for no reason at all. It was meant to teach us financial wisdom. So when Jesus said we should not worry about what to eat or drink because God our Father would provide us with these things, He meant to let go of the attitude of anxiety and not to embrace the attitude of reckless spending.
But one would think, how can I feel blessed when it took so long for me to process my license and get the job. We arrived here last June 14 and I only got my Ohio nursing license on September 1. It was a long wait. But I know things happen for a reason. And usually, only time would reveal where wisdom lies. You only realize the whys when you begin to look back and see how the puzzles fitted to create a perfect picture.
I saw how that waiting period was necessary so that my husband and I could do the research for schools for the kids, for a place for us to stay, have time to adjust to a life without maids, relax as a family, and even sit for our driver's license exam. I knew when I started to feel the routine while I cleaned our place, that the job was coming. And at exactly the first day of September, as I expected it to come, I got my license number. Things started to happen fast where my employment was concerned. And before I knew it, I was already sitting in a small classroom with three other new hires undergoing the orientation for dialysis nursing.
But looking back, I had my doubts as well regarding my employment. There were times when I would get news that there was no opening here in this city and I may have to consider relocating. And there were even options being suggested to me that I should look up other employers so that I can undergo the training while waiting for my license. And in these times, I had to rely heavily on listening to where the Spirit is leading me. As always, it was easy to know. Because I was given the grace to wait. I think that is one peculiar thing about discerning God's will. If you really wanted to do His will, you are given the grace to do it. The waiting period could have easily made me impatient and I could have insisted on looking for somewhere else to work but that did not happen. I just knew deep inside that I had to wait and that things will happen at the right time. That is what I call Grace.
That word "Grace" is not commonly understood by people. I just got to appreciate that word when I stayed some time with the discalced Carmelites in the monastery. There I learned that Grace is something that is freely given from above. It makes you act in a manner which is beyond what your human nature would have made you do. When you are able to keep yourself from making a biting remark when normally you would do it automatically, that is Grace. When you hold yourself, when normally your strong personality would have insisted for your rights and something good comes out of that action, that is Grace. When you admit your mistakes when you usually do not, that is Grace. And acknowledging the Grace of God is the key to humility because you know that you are only capable of doing good because the Spirit is at work in you. And I believe that the only reason why I had so much patience waiting for my license and just accepting things as they are, not fretting about our finances or the lack thereof, is pure Grace.
And while we were living under God's provisions we came to appreciate how He made us financially literate to prepare us for this season of our lives. We learned that we needed to have 3-6 months' worth of living expenses as emergency fund. They say that for employees it is 3 months worth of living expenses and for self-employed it has to be 6 months' worth. Even though we never thought that we would ever find ourselves being "unemployed" we followed this financial advice. And that emergency fund saved us during these last four months of unemployment. And I came to appreciate how God instructed Joseph to advice the pharaoh of Egypt to save 1/5 of the produce during the rich harvests so they could have something for the years of famine. That is just what we did... saved 20% of our income and paid ourselves first.
Seeing how this saved us, we intend to continue doing that same practice of paying ourselves first because obviously the Bible did not mention that story for no reason at all. It was meant to teach us financial wisdom. So when Jesus said we should not worry about what to eat or drink because God our Father would provide us with these things, He meant to let go of the attitude of anxiety and not to embrace the attitude of reckless spending.
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