New Year, new opportunity, new hope for a new day. 2009 didn't exactly start with new opportunities and hope. I blogged some thoughts in January - New Day - reflecting on the choices we have make as we look at life.
Mid January 2009, I was told that my job was being made redundant - the job not me, but the reality is I had one month! I was expecting a drop in salary, perhaps part-time and/or a pay cut, but this was it.
I completed the work in hand and after about 2 weeks when everything was in order, as best as I could, I took up the task of finding work in earnest. When you lose your job, you have to make some choices about how you're going to deal with the loss, how you're going to motivate yourself, how you're going to set about the task of re-creating your future. In a similar situation,
someone once said "it is now my full-time job to find another job." You just gotta do whatever it takes, scanning the internet, jobs pages and newspapers, job centres and agencies; think carefully about what you want to do next and consider what you're prepared to do should you need to; update your CV and start networking - let people know you're available for work.
Well, within 3 weeks I had applied for a dozen jobs (and I didn't even get an acknowledgment) but I also had 3 'good' possibilities, all of which had come through 'networking'.
Ultimately I had to make a choice and history will show that 1 month to the day after I was given notice, I was offered a another job which was an opportunity to grow and develop my skills and advance my career. I started work immediately my previous contract finished, and even enjoyed a few days of 'garden leave' into the bargain.
For the record, not I but Jesus, because my God supplies all I need according to the vast resources He holds. Yeh, yeh, I know it sound's like I've suddenly become a simpleton who believes in God but my experience shows that seeking God and involving Him in my daily journey makes a difference to how I view my circumstances, how I respond and, I believe, the results I see in my life.
Hey, it's just a thought... but God's blessings are unlimited and without favour or price.
Be blessed!
Friday, 20 March 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
Journeys
All journeys begin.
When I think of all the different journeys I have begun, I recall so many different reasons, different emotions, different vehicles, different companions, different circumstances. Some are planned, some are not, some are familiar, some trigger memories. Every one is unique - even a regular journey along a well known route to a frequent destination is different to the time before! No two journeys are ever the same, and when we make the mistake of thinking they are, we miss so much of what is there to see. I've journeyed for work and I've journeyed for fun. Journeys by car, journeys by plane, journeys on foot, by cycle, by boat and by train. I love the variety.
I like journeys.
Some are marked with excitement, some with frustration, some anticipation or expectation... Some are long, some are short, some are fast, some are slow, some are fun, some are not, some possess everything all in one! A journey not a race - though I often forget and rush along, eager to make good time. Journeys should be experienced, savoured, enjoyed! Journeys often - maybe always - present opportunities, if we take the time to engage and to see them. As I rush from place to place, I'm sure I must be missing opportunities to meet people, to share a moment, an offer of kindness, a social exchange. On a train, I met a guy going home having served his time. I bought him a sandwich and wished him a better journey this time around. Too many times I've hid behind a book or report or even a laptop...and missed the moments. People and places are the substance of journeys - people make journeys. Journeys connect places bringing people together. Isn't that what it's all about?... bringing people together!
and I like Journey's End.
Getting there. Meeting friends or family. A meeting with colleagues. Exploring a new destination. Starting a holiday. Every journey's end is a new beginning, a new opportunity. Every end has it's beginning and a journey that comes between.
But the greatest journey of all must be the one that begins every day...the journey of life.
So, I want to mark the beginnings and the endings and enjoy the journeys that life inevitably brings, new every morning - so, whether you share my beliefs or not, be content and look around as you journey through life... enjoy the people you meet and the places you visit - you never know what your journey might bring.
Right now my journey is taking an unexpected turn, from a place of work to a new place; a place not yet known - not by my choice but I know this is my journey and one I must take. I don't have a route or a map but I keep walking forward believing and trusting that the One who journeys with me knows the Way. It sounds naiive and a little old fashioned but we've traveled a long way together and we've come this far, so why would He fail me now?... (either that or I've just been lucky! But if luck be your reason can you be certain it will hold?)
As for me, I thank you Lord for the journey today and the confidence of your company.
When I think of all the different journeys I have begun, I recall so many different reasons, different emotions, different vehicles, different companions, different circumstances. Some are planned, some are not, some are familiar, some trigger memories. Every one is unique - even a regular journey along a well known route to a frequent destination is different to the time before! No two journeys are ever the same, and when we make the mistake of thinking they are, we miss so much of what is there to see. I've journeyed for work and I've journeyed for fun. Journeys by car, journeys by plane, journeys on foot, by cycle, by boat and by train. I love the variety.
I like journeys.
Some are marked with excitement, some with frustration, some anticipation or expectation... Some are long, some are short, some are fast, some are slow, some are fun, some are not, some possess everything all in one! A journey not a race - though I often forget and rush along, eager to make good time. Journeys should be experienced, savoured, enjoyed! Journeys often - maybe always - present opportunities, if we take the time to engage and to see them. As I rush from place to place, I'm sure I must be missing opportunities to meet people, to share a moment, an offer of kindness, a social exchange. On a train, I met a guy going home having served his time. I bought him a sandwich and wished him a better journey this time around. Too many times I've hid behind a book or report or even a laptop...and missed the moments. People and places are the substance of journeys - people make journeys. Journeys connect places bringing people together. Isn't that what it's all about?... bringing people together!
and I like Journey's End.
Getting there. Meeting friends or family. A meeting with colleagues. Exploring a new destination. Starting a holiday. Every journey's end is a new beginning, a new opportunity. Every end has it's beginning and a journey that comes between.
But the greatest journey of all must be the one that begins every day...the journey of life.
So, I want to mark the beginnings and the endings and enjoy the journeys that life inevitably brings, new every morning - so, whether you share my beliefs or not, be content and look around as you journey through life... enjoy the people you meet and the places you visit - you never know what your journey might bring.
Right now my journey is taking an unexpected turn, from a place of work to a new place; a place not yet known - not by my choice but I know this is my journey and one I must take. I don't have a route or a map but I keep walking forward believing and trusting that the One who journeys with me knows the Way. It sounds naiive and a little old fashioned but we've traveled a long way together and we've come this far, so why would He fail me now?... (either that or I've just been lucky! But if luck be your reason can you be certain it will hold?)
As for me, I thank you Lord for the journey today and the confidence of your company.
Friday, 30 January 2009
A new day
Credit Crunch! Economic Downturn? Recession, depression... is it real or is it hype? Was it the consumer spending too much, banking system lending too much, the politicians wasting too much or was it the media talking too much?...
Well... there is a time for everything. Perhaps, this will be a time for reflection on the greater things, the better things, the beautiful things... so many things to be thankful for - a beautiful wife, two great kids, friends and family, a God who holds the future and the benefits of His blessings.
But what about the reality of redundancy and job hunting when thousands are joining the queue every day? Well, reality depends on your perspective, what you choose to believe and how you choose to respond to your beliefs. So, I choose to believe a new day is dawning. As the sun rises to herald the day, so a new beginning is rising on the horizon of my day...
No, I don't know what that new day will bring - I have no idea what lies ahead for me. A few more days of work and then?... a new day! Everyday is full of surprises and so I look forward to a new beginning, a new day, not knowing what it holds. But this I do know whatever it may hold my God is with me, so I walk with a hope and with the confidence of knowing that my God is looking out for me.
So, I choose my belief in an eternal God and I take my perspective from an eternal view. A new day is dawning, don't be caught yawning - seize the day!
Well... there is a time for everything. Perhaps, this will be a time for reflection on the greater things, the better things, the beautiful things... so many things to be thankful for - a beautiful wife, two great kids, friends and family, a God who holds the future and the benefits of His blessings.
But what about the reality of redundancy and job hunting when thousands are joining the queue every day? Well, reality depends on your perspective, what you choose to believe and how you choose to respond to your beliefs. So, I choose to believe a new day is dawning. As the sun rises to herald the day, so a new beginning is rising on the horizon of my day...
No, I don't know what that new day will bring - I have no idea what lies ahead for me. A few more days of work and then?... a new day! Everyday is full of surprises and so I look forward to a new beginning, a new day, not knowing what it holds. But this I do know whatever it may hold my God is with me, so I walk with a hope and with the confidence of knowing that my God is looking out for me.
So, I choose my belief in an eternal God and I take my perspective from an eternal view. A new day is dawning, don't be caught yawning - seize the day!
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