I am adding an extra blog on a personal experience I am going through. I feel God leading me to share this for someone who is needing to hear this story.
At my workplace I am a dispatcher. My job is sitting at a desk for 12 hour shifts flipping every week from days to nights. While there I answer the phone, make phone calls, and do a fair amount of paperwork. During this time I often have very quiet periods that can last sometimes for many hours with no phone calls or anything at all. During these quiet times I do a lot of reading. I love to read. I read novels, the Bible, devotionals, help books, and information books of all sorts. I also love to read other people’s blogs, news online, and surf the internet for help in doing various things. Each of the dispatchers have always been allowed to do these things as long as the job was getting done as needed.
Recently my boss changed that ruling. During the day we are no longer allowed to read anything, not even the newspaper the company gets delivered everyday. When we work the night shift we can read though. Imagine how long a day can be when you cannot read or do anything and nothing is happening. It gets very long. At first I was very angry about the change. I could not understand why we could not read. All we were told is that we need to focus on our job more. I agree that I have messed up a few times over the last few years, but not enough to make that sort of change. After a few days of praying to God about this I learned something from God through this situation.
I used to be in the Army. I remember one duty station I was at they loved to run long distance. A short run for us then would be about 4 miles, with the average around 7-8 miles. And I never really liked to run, I did it because I had to. One day they decided to do a marathon level run of 23 miles. Prior to that I think my longest run was maybe about 10-11 miles at one time. I did not have a choice in not participating in this run, I had to run it. I decided at the beginning of the run I was going to run the entire way without stopping or walking, although I knew I would slow down to a very slow run at times. At the beginning of the run it was pretty easy. At some point though it started to get very difficult. At times it was very lonely running all alone. Other times it was the pain in the side or legs. One of the hard parts was not knowing for sure how far I had run or how far I still had to run to get to the end of the run. But I kept plugging along running. I had set my focus on the end of the race. I was going to make no matter what. I kept on running, and running and running, never seeming to get to the end. Well, eventually I did make it to the end. And I never did stop running till I got to the end. I was excited that I had made it. I was nowhere near the first to make the finish line, nor was I the last, but I did make it. There were some that fell out and quit. I didn’t because I had my focus on the finish line as the stopping point, no where in between.
How does this run from years ago link up with a dispatcher’s job? Glad you asked. As I prayed to God for direction about this “awful” situation He spoke to me. He reminded me of this long run I had done. God showed me several things:
1) He reminded me that I am to obey those who are in authority over me (Hebrews 13:17, Titus 3:1). God placed that boss over me and I must obey him as I would obey God. I must trust that God is in control.
2) I have to fix my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). He is at the finish line sitting down at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. That is where I want to be someday.
3) I have to run the race (Hebrews 12:1). There is no walking in the Christian life other than walking with God. In life it is a race. I need to get to the finish line. This brings me to the next point.
4) There will be struggles in this world (John 16:33). Jesus never promised an easy life, in fact He said there will be trouble. But He did promise that He would be by my side helping me all the way if I follow and trust Him.
5) God said I am to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Often I get too busy to take time to pray. I let the things of the world get in the way of praying. But God wants me to be praying all the time.
How did all this help me? I now look at this situation as one given to me by God. Just as I had to focus on finishing that run I now must finish the course God has put me on in life today. I now must focus more on Him throughout my day to keep from going crazy from boredom. Along with this it allows me to pray more. As I go through the day now, I pray. I pray for each person that walks onto the yard, for each person who calls or I call; and I take more time to worship God quietly in my spirit while I am sitting there doing “nothing”. I still get my job done, but also with that job I am giving God a chance to do even more. It has brought peace to my mind sitting there now. I no longer feel like I am doing nothing, I am working with God to change the world around me. I do not know how all these prayers will change things, I just know they will give God a chance to do something in the lives of many people. I also do not know where my finish line will be, only God knows that. I must only focus on Jesus and keep running this race till He tells me I have reached the finish line. I hope this encourages you today in whatever situation you are in in life.
Today I pray for you; I pray that God will touch your life through this message; that God will show you what He wants you to do today; that God will help you to trust Him in the “ugly” situations of life; that God will fill you with His peace; and that God will use you today where ever you are.
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