It’s About To Get Crazy

God has a way of leaving me to work diligently at the tasks He’s prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10), such as finishing my Ph.D. thesis. But during times of transition, such as when we moved to Philadelphia so I could attend seminary, we’ve experienced God’s hand in a very active way.

This is one of those transition times.

The past months have been very busy for us, as SIM has become a full-time job on top of my “regular” job as a software developer at Epicor. Last week I spoke to Jim Longworth, SIM’s director for Atlantic Canada, about the possibility of resigning at Epicor so I could focus on raising support and preparing to move to Africa. Jim said that we could go active with SIM on August 1, but in the end we decided to wait a little.

On Thursday there was another massive round of layoffs at my company. I thought I’d survived the cuts because I was asked to attend a department-wide meeting in the afternoon. But as soon as I hung up the phone I got a call saying that I had been laid off.

So God has made it clear that my days in the computer industry are at an end, and I am about to embark on a new vocation with SIM a little sooner than I had expected. But these things happen according to God’s plan and in His timing, not mine.

I know that God used my job at Epicor to provide for my family’s needs. It provided for us while I was in seminary, including several years were I was permitted to flex my time to take two days a week off so I could attend classes. It provided for us while I was doing my Ph.D., as a part-time consultant that let me take weeks off at a time while on study trips in England several times a year. It provided for us when I returned to full-time work literally 15 minutes after I finished my thesis.

So I am thankful that God gave me this job, and I am confident that He will continue to provide for our needs in ways I haven’t imagined.