So, Tim comes in looking for Tim. Tim is our employee, and Tim is Tim’s roommate.
Got it? Awesome, follow along.
Tim wants Tim to come home and listen to an important voice mail. Not just important, life changing he said.
Tim is a non stop worker and was slightly frustrated that Tim was not only breaking his rhythm, but wants him to leave work early.
Tim tells Tim, to just tell him about the voice mail. Tim declares that he needed to hear it for himself. Only when Tim tells Tim, it will have to wait until after work, does Tim relent and share the earth shattering news.
“I won $2.6 million dollars.” Tim says.
Then Tim asks Tim “OK, what’s the catch?”
We live in an environment that is scorecard driven. Rewards are given in relation to action.. We are taught the harder we work, or the more education we obtain (costs), the more success, prestige and/or money we will have (rewards).
We reward our children for good behavior, and learn you must do something to get something.
Tim and Tim tell me about the voice mail and I ask Tim, “what sweepstakes did you enter?”
“Huh”? He replied.
I shared that the odds of winning a sweepstakes is astronomical when you enter one, but likely impossible when you don’t.
“I bought a new truck”, Tim tells me.
I replied, “OK, so when you bought the truck, did they tell you that your name is going into a drawing to be a millionaire?”
Our learned behavior is there are no free rides, and If it’s too good to be true, look out.
Yet something inside of us wants to believe good things can happen for no logical reason. I believe that’s because we are wired that way.
Somewhere buried under the weight of all the baggage the world puts on us, is a heart that knows better.
If we are honest with ourselves we admit that while each “earned” reward may provide an emotional uplift, it’s really temporary.
There’s always more if we just work harder to get it. That “more” is what will really make me happy, we tell ourselves.
Now don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with working hard and reaping the benefits. I’m just saying if that is your source for peace and happiness, in the long run, you’ll find it doesn’t fill the void.
Nothing may put this into perspective better than when the actions don’t yield the rewards. I’ve experienced both sides of the equation, earning my way up the corporate ladder with all the material benefits attached.
The flip side is going all in to save a failing family business, working much longer and harder than every before. Despite being armed with the experience and knowledge of a previous career in corporate business, have not reaped the material rewards.
In fact, I lost all my material wealth in the process.
Yet, I gained something much more valuable.
I began to realize that I am not defined by the success or failure of a business. Nor do I have to earn love from God.
Faced with the truth that my obstacles were far greater than I could hurdle, I dropped to my knees and surrendered my pride. I relinquished control to Jesus, believing His words and having faith that He will provide.
The more I turned to Him, the more I started seeing the miracles all around me. These may be hardly recognizable from the outside looking in, but from the inside view it was clear.
We started to notice that it was no coincidence that an unexpected check arrived just in time to keep the power on.
Or, how a year ago the weather stayed slightly above average in temperature later in the fall, as we were operating with our gas disconnected due to non payment.
I could go on an on giving examples of how God was/ is providing to keep us going, even if the big picture still looks bleak.
I grasped that this was happening not because I was working harder, but simply because He loves me, I trust Him, and I believe He will provide.
The peace that comes with that translates into strength.
Strength to endure. Strength to persevere. Strength to move on if God leads us elsewhere.
I’m not going to pretend it’s easy, it’s not. Thoughts will flood me with all my past mistakes and failures, reminding of how I don’t deserve to be happy, successful , loved________(fill in the blank).
Truth is, I don’t deserve it, and I can’t earn it.
So there’s no need in beating myself up, right?
Instead, I try to push all the crap out the way and trust what I know to be true.
Jesus loves me unconditionally and showers me with gifts I don’t deserve. All I have to do is receive them.
I thinkk we are wired to believe in miracles.
That’s why a rational person can hang on the hope that he won $2.6 million in a sweepstakes he never entered.
We long to see that something great will happen.
Truth is, it does everyday in varying forms such as health, friendships, peace, and even financially.
For Tim, not this time. As you imagined it was simply a scam.
However;
An employee of a friend of ours, who’s had a very hard life, struggling financially for years, just met a sister he didn’t know he had. She’s in her late 80’s, and found out that he’s her only living relative. She bought him a car, gave him some money and informed him that he will receive a death benefit of $2.6 million, when she passes away.
It’s easy to get distracted with all the garbage around us. Yet good things are happening all around. If you’re struggling to see them, then I challenge you to search for yourself who Jesus is. Ask him to show you. He will, and He’s already there waiting for you.
rescued and restored
al