When it rains, it pours blessings too!

A few days ago I wrote that when it rains it pours.  I find this a really funny concept because most people tend to think that it is only bad things that happen.  But what I am finding is that sometimes blessings can be poured down on us as well… but for various reasons, we don’t see it or don’t attribute it to God.

What I have been learning is that often times we don’t see blessings in our life because we frame the idea of a blessing in a certain way.  Whether it is supposed to be a miraculous healing or a check with a sizeable amount of money in our mailbox, those are huge miracles.  But what I find that I get distracted from is that small blessing such as that random conversation that leads to something unexpected or the out of the ordinary word or action of somebody that alters the course of your day, week, or life.

Well, I have seen a lot of these little things lately.  As I have been making an effort to get a job in my field, I found that nothing was working.  I even applied for jobs that I should be a lock to get, and I was receiving ridiculous excuses in rejection emails.  But here are a few things I figured out…

1.     Some of those places would have been HORRIBLE to work for.

2.     I would have been terribly unhappy, and probably still unable to pay my bills.

That being said, I did not get those jobs.  As the bills continued to pile up, I was wondering when God was going to help me.  I told him that it would be better to have any job where I can have an income than no job with no income.  But the blessing lied in the fact that I did not take those toxic jobs.

Back to the original idea, I was getting frustrated because I wanted something on my terms.  I did not realize that the timing was off and that he would pull through eventually.  So instead of one job, I somehow ended up with three jobs and potentially a fourth job that would be full time.  If I get this full time job, it gives me the option to relinquish two of the smaller jobs.

I could easily just attribute it to my own dumb luck, like most people do when good things happen, but I can’t.  The fact that I walked into one of the places inquiring about the job, and then two minutes later walking away with the job is evidence that it is not my own power.  I am the same guy that could not even get an interview for a job that I did for 6 years because “there were more qualified candidates” and now I am getting a job without interviewing.  It definitely has to be God.

Luke 12:22-34 talks about how God takes care of us.  Jesus spoke of how God feeds the birds and dresses the lilies, yet we mean so much more than birds and lilies.  I know it is hard to have faith during droughts, but it is important to have faith and to continue to press on and work hard. 

I learned that is what is happening in my life.  God is providing for me, it just took a while for the timing to be correct.  Some of the jobs that I was looking at for security were taken away from me by various means, and it freed me up to pursue other options.  For as much as I tried to see that blessing of being freed from the burdens in my life, I was watching my bank deplete and I listened to complainers who distracted me from giving glory to God and looking for the next opportunity. 

I also found that people close to you can distract you from seeing the blessings as well.  This is evident in the book of Job and it is evident today.   This is why it is imperative that we surround ourselves with people who help us out of the water when we are thrown overboard.  People that drag you down when you are trying stay above water are unacceptable friends and should be avoided.

This is why I am lucky.  I had friends willing to help me.  Not all of them, but a good amount.  One friend handed my resume to an employer, and even though I was ruled out of the job months ago, I was given an interview… which went very well.  I also had a conversation with someone at church who just so happened to be a sales rep (I think) with the department that I interviewed with!  How crazy is that????  So she told me that she would put in a good word for me, and hopefully it works!  Even if it does not, it is a small reminder that God did not forget me and that he still wants to bless me.

With another job that I got, it was because I bumped into a new friend of mine while he was talking to n employee.  A few days later, the worker told me that he wanted to hire me because, “If you are friends with (so and so), then you have to be a good person and I told (the boss) that she should hire you!” 

Again, I was just blown away.  This did not look like what I had hoped for, but it is a step in the right direction with places that seem to be positive.  The one job could lead to a career job, so I am excited for that opportunity.  I am excited for all of the opportunities, but especially this one.

In short, look for the blessings in life.  Even when it is cold and damp and you are getting poured down on, remember that the rain that is coming down will give life to many things.  It might not happen right away, but if you work hard and seek God, it will happen.  There could be many other blessings out there too, so what ever you do, don’t stop looking for the blessings because they are out there!