My wife and I gave some of our testimony about God's work in my life last night. The audience was a small group of college students who eat dinner with some of our good friends every Sunday night. As I remembered the pain, the stress, the suffering and then God's peace and patience and shocking faithfulness I was overwhelmed.
God watched as a lifestyle and a job and a level of prestige all became idols for me. He watched as I neglected my wife and my children and my own health for the pursuit of the career. It seemed like He started sending me the message that I had better get my life right a year or so before I left that job. Truth is, He's been trying to lead me down the right path even before I went to work there. I chose to go the way I went and it nearly cost me everything that's really important to me.
That part of the story is normal. The part of the story that's not normal is the part where I turned to my Father and I cried to Him for help and He responded immediately. God was right there. He didn't demand that I fix everything I'd damaged. He didn't make me jump backwards through all those hoops to get back to Him. He was right behind me all the time, begging me to turn around and come back to what I knew was right. When I did, He blessed me with peace that you can't understand unless you've been given that gift. He blessed me with a much better job than I could have even asked for. He blessed me with a group of friends that also wish to serve Him. He blessed me with a family that stayed with me when I was bringing very little to the table except a paycheck and they forgave me when I apologized to them for the years I gave away. He continues to bless me as I seek to serve Him with my life.
God is faithful. God is generous. Your career is not your life. It's important, but not more important than the people in your life. Surround yourself with God's people and make yourself accountable to them.
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