This picture is a summary of my first week at work. That's me. Good for 3rd prize at the Halloween contest at the office and a new company mug.
I Have found that joy can come from many sources and be directed in many different ways. In this case, I had joy in my heart from making new friends and it was directed towards those new friends. It made me silly.
Back at my desk, I got my first paycheck. Talk about joy. I walked into my office, looked at the envelope and simply stared. A paycheck! A real live, honest to goodness paycheck!
I was the richest man alive.
The most wonderful part of my little moment was not thinking that I could go buy a badly needed new mattress for my oldest child, or perhaps a new astronomy tool for myself, or even a good meal for my wife on a date. The first thought in my head was gratitude to God. He had seen me through 18 months of joblessness and kept my house and was now providing success at a new company and a paycheck.
I was simply and profoundly grateful.
Frankly, it could have been for $100 and I would have felt this way. The fact is, it was not from my company, it was from Him. And I had joy. And I was not worried that I still have huge debts and a very rough uphill financial road to travel. I had a paycheck!
I could not wait to go home to tell Debbie and for us to decide how much to give back to God. And we did decide. And we decided where it should go. And we had joy together.
God owns it all: Psa 50:10 NKJV - For every beast of the forest [is] Mine, [And] the cattle on a thousand hills. And He slaughtered one of those cattle for us.
My heart has changed from, "I've earned this so I get to spend it how I want." to "This was Yours dear Jesus! You transferred it into my bank account so how do you want me to use it?". That change gives me joy, too. We've always tried to be generous, but there is a subtle difference now.
I like the new Jack. Keep molding me, Master Sculptor!
Your lump of clay,
Jack
No comments:
Post a Comment