Tom Branch - Roads of Faith

I like today. Yes I do. Because today i will keep myself behind these walls and rest. Well I do have plenty to do like cleaning, and finish up the wedding photos from a month ago. Sheesh. And do some serious reading I hope. Well I do have some car troubles but I think I can make those pass. At least for now.

My work situation I feel is grim. At least thats what I think after working night shifts. I work split shifts through the week. Tuesday through Thursday I work in the day time. Then Friday and Saturday I work nights so that is until 4-6am if not later. SO needless to say this messes up my sleep pattern every week when my body wants to be in bed no later than 2am. I can push it to three but thats pushing it no further. So most nights I am there till 4am.

The aftermath is tired and cranky at Sojourn on Sundays. Or leads me to so many other sins as that is when I am weakened. So I was and sorta still am looking for a way out. I have prayed several times but for a lil bit there my prayer was not for endurance during these times, I was praying for deliverance from it, from this suffering. I wanted out.

So I looked for another job. In fact I have been since March really. Mostly in photography as that is where I would love to be able to have a career in. But that is seemingly hard to do in this town. Since march I have done more than 20 resumes and applications. That is not a far exaggeration....and I have either heard nothing from the or get turned down. Lately it seems it comes down to them not calling back after I follow up or they make it sound promising and feed false hope and something fails in communication or something but I rarely hear back from them.

So I asked for a way out and nothing. But here comes a health issue!!! Egads could this be my way out? I have every symptom but I am going in for some tests Halloween night to be diagnosed with sleep apnea. Which means I stop breathing in the middle of the night and leads to short term memory loss, tired all day, light headed, and so much more. So I am seeing the Dr. and I asked if I could keep my same work schedule with sleep apnea. This is it, this is the answer I am looking for as a regular sleep patter is important for this health issue....wait for it....this could be my ticket off night shift......and bam. Remember that game show with the Wammies, ya know people shouted No Wammies! No Wammies! No Wammies! No Wammies! Well insert that sound it made when you hit a wammie here. The Doc said I would not have to change my work schedule.

Well great can't seem to find another job with better hours, nor can I get finances reduced so I can take a lower paying job, and even the Dr said I can keep my same hours. It seems God isn't telling me that the end is near or that oh here is a good job for you to lead, no by not hearing him it seems he wants me right where I am. I was reading in a book and the writer was speaking about his wife how she hated her job. She just wanted out and wasn't getting the positions she wanted very familiar to my current situation. Well he told her she is going to have to get better at her current job.

She did, then got promoted into a higher position that she thought of ever getting and all worked out real nicely. She changed her heart towards the job and things changed. I related to her pains of hating the job, yet seeing that the heart change e lead into something better was very encouraging. So maybe this would apply here as well.

Now reading some scripture God has a few things to say about work, well mostly masters and slaves. Modern work are we not slaves? I mean to corporate America the heartless soul sucking godless evil that it is?Yeah I think so. But in reading I was convicted of my work ethics. Work as if we were working for God.

Let's look at this scenario how working faith into the job scene.

Current:
Boss = "Tom can you run these reoprts by 5pm tomorrow?"
Tom ="Sure"
Ok seeing that would give me two days to do this for something that may take 3 hours to do, I wait until the next day to do them. I did not want to do them so I lowered its priorities and importance to me.

Godly:
Boss = "Tom can you run these reports by 5pm tomorrow?"
Tom ="Sure I'll do them right now"
The focus here this time is I help what was important to my boss as equal as he/she did. I did not lower it to my standards and push it off till later.

This is what scares me if I devalue what my boss asks of me, what makes me think I will not devalue what God asks of me? What if Noah devalued God's demand for his own desires? Noah: Well God wants this built pretty fast but I think we need a few days off, we have worked hard enough. The world would be population: 0

This parallel is what gets me. My work ethic isn't biblical as it should be, it does not flow with my life. I work for man and not god. In my heart I think I should work as if I worked for God. It is written so it must be true right?

You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (COL 3:22-23 NLT)

I would read the passage in context it says so much more. That is just the beef of it. But there is more...

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. (Ephesians 6:5-6 NIV)

So this is where I stand convicted. I do not like my job, at least certain aspects of it. My heart selfishly wants out. Yet This is also the perfect example of when to be obedient to God and find contentment in his will for me and think how can I serve better than I am? Also this can work itself out for me to start working for God rather than man.

Work especially should be a perfect place to draw towards God. Dependence. Change our hearts and work differently and see where it goes. Now the reality, easier said than done!!!! I know in my job!!! But it sounds promising and that alone brings comfort.

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