Day Six

Day 6

Life is a Temporary Assignment

I know about temporary assignments, I used to send hundreds of men and women on them every day. It was my job. And I felt like God. I got to choose you got to work and where they would go and who didn’t get to go to work. Sometimes I was partial to my favorites and sometimes I didn’t have that opportunity. It was a lot of power for a 24 year old young man. But I think for the most part I was usually pretty fair. The job and the customer had to come first and that was why I was able to succeed so well at what I did. Yea I had my troubles and fortunately God put someone in a position over me that watched out for me that really kept his eye on me and looked out for me that allowed me to make mistakes without the fear of being called a bad kid or being fired at the drop of a hat. This was someone that God used to express His grace and mercy in my life. And until I started writing this day’s notes did I just realize this very fact. Brad Lane, my boss all those years was an implement of Gods grace and mercy in my life. Someone who overlooked my shortcomings and my character flaws and saw the hurting soul inside and stood by me through some of the hardest times of my life, Thank you Lord.

So what about my temporary assignment from my Father in heaven? How many times have I tried to shorten it? I remember one afternoon I had sent about 35 women to a factory in North Hollywood. About 30 minutes later they all returned to the office and told me they were on strike and wanted more money. Two of them it was their first day. I told them all “Either you all return to work or you will never work for me again and I will just replace you no questions asked!” Well it’s a little different for God. He just can’t take my 30 minute notice when I tell him I don’t like this life and I am going to check out of it tonight with what ever means I feel like trying to take my life or put my self at risk. He just can’t replace me with another because there is no other ME. Sometimes I wish I could start over again but since that isn’t possible God just has kept me here by His grace to confound the wise, prove everyone else wrong, and give me chance after chance to correct my mistakes until I get them right once and for all until I am ready to be used as He is now for his purposes to fulfill His goals in my life. “For soon some day I’ll see the old man is laid aside, and walk through life with head held high, with dignity and pride” was the last line in the first poem God gave me “From Boyhood to Manhood”. And it only took 18 years from when that first poem was written, not a lifetime, although it seemed like it at times.

So now looking at life as just something temporary as a whole new meaning. Today I am just one more day closer to a time when I will be walking with Jesus and not putting up with the things of this world. Today is just one more day closer to being in that eternity that has been promised to me all along that I have been hoping for all my life. Today or tomorrow may be the only day I have left to let someone I know and love what Jesus has done in my life. We just don’t know how much time we have left to do anything about what is really important here on earth. So the small things that I have been used to wasting time with just don’t have the same meaning as they used to in the past, for instance sitting around the apartment all day smoking cigarettes watching television and sleeping etc. Notice how I didn’t even include fixing a meal in there somewhere? You can see how interesting and productive my life was at one time and just how well I was taking care of myself. Instead I spend more time in worship and reading and writing and fixing meals than I do anything else in my life on a day to day basis. And what fills in the gaps in between is who ever God sends to pray with or minister to and that just about wraps up the day or night. Why I ever said there is nothing to do with my life is beyond me. Now I have so much to do, I actually am tired and sleep like a baby in the evenings. So I guess you could say that I am Trusting God that my Test are only Temporary and that I pass them quickly so my days will be fruitful and my blessings will multiply (since I am not ha ha) and my life will be a joy to all I encounter.