Love Where You Are (even when it's hard)

So, to be completely honest, I'm getting tired of my job, as if it's been a long day and with every hour that passes your energy depletes faster and faster.

The problem is that I have felt the chastisement of a loving Father that I need to make the most of every opportunity around me, including at work; that if I want to do missions and ministry so badly, I need to start where I am or how can I do more? Sigh. God's version of "common sense" makes so much sense sometimes that it's both frustrating and glorious! And it's always hard.

So I made up my mind to try the best that I could, and often before starting work for the day I will pray for opportunities and that I will see them and take full advantage of them.

At one time I would've thought that my opportunities would've come with customers, but really, ever since I started working there, they've come in the form of coworkers. My coworkers - both in my department and others - are the part of my job that I would forever miss if I left. After about four years of working there, I feel very close with several coworkers, and some who have left I miss very much. And that's where God has placed opportunities.

In the past, I have prayed for some of my more immediate coworkers, mostly the older ladies I work with, and at one point even my supervisor. But within the past year, as my job shifted at one point to include another new duty which put me around workers in other departments that I became closer friends with, God has both placed the hearts of more coworkers on my heart and given me many more opportunities to pray over them and bless them, and even see healing.

For example, for almost a year now, a certain person at work, J—, has been on my heart, that God really wants to work in his life (he is not a Christian). At first my opportunities were just to talk to him more and encourage him as what I was doing and where at work changed. I felt a strong pull to pray for him, but a situation never arose for it, and after about four months I was back at my original job and I didn't see him as often. I still felt that there was more that God wanted to do, however, but I didn't see how. One evening, however, an opportunity presented itself. J— wasn't in the best of moods because of work, and he told me he couldn't hear out of his one ear and it was ringing. I asked him if I could pray for him. He didn't quite know what to do with that at first, but he finally let me, and took off his hat before I began to pray. I prayed healing over his ear.

The next day at work, he was in a great mood. I asked how his ear was, and he said, "Oh, it's great." I was like, "J—, God healed your ear!" He just grinned and said "yeah..." That was an important thing that happened, because after that, when something is going on in his life, such as his nephew who was born with some health problems, he will come up and discuss it with me and I'll either pray for it there or tell him I will keep it in my prayers and I do, and he gives me updates. I can see something changing in him and it is such a blessing and a joy.

And there are others. There's the hostess, only 16 or 17 years old, who has a long list of stress and disappointments in her life right now, and after I prayed for her, she told me she's not religious, but that was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for her, and she now gives me updates as well when I ask how she's really doing. There's one of the girls I work with who is full of fun and energy whose grandfather just died and she really had a hard time with it, and I got to pray for her as well. And I could go on.

Where is God giving you opportunities right now, in a place that maybe you hate being, somewhere you want to leave? Find them, and taking part in those opportunities will be a blessing to you, those involved, and the Kingdom of God.

I've been in a position to take advantage of opportunities and missed them or not taken them because I was afraid, and I regret it still. Don't live with that; don't miss out on what God wants to use you to do even in a place you don't want to be. Love where you are - love those around you, love the opportunities. Even when it's hard.





P.S. The picture above was taken from the parking lot of where I work: even when I may not want to be there, God shows me something beautiful.