No substitute for experience
I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God. (Zechariah 13:9)
Nothing I’ve ever accomplished in life ever came easy. Every step, every inch, every molecule was fought for.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have things come easier. But then I wouldn’t be who I am today – and I wouldn’t have the same level of compassion for others that I do if it did.
I work as an executive assistant. I currently support a vice president at a global corporation. In my previous role, I assisted a university president. My job is to make sure that my executives are prepared, equipped, and supported in every way necessary so that they can do their jobs successfully.
There’s a trust that exists in this relationship that is hard to replicate. While the old saying goes that behind every good man stands a good woman, I would say that behind every successful executive is an outstanding assistant. My mind is always thinking ahead, planning, anticipating the next hour, week, and month. My boss knows that I will take care of her as she’s experienced my dependability.
I didn’t just fall into this job. I worked hard for it. I’ve learned what questions to ask, which people to reach out to for assistance, and how each of my bosses – current and previous – expected of me. Such skills can only be honed with time and experience. There’s no substitute for that.
My Christian walk is much the same. I didn’t just become who I am overnight.
I’ve always had a strong faith – don’t get me wrong. I loved God my whole life and purposely chose to walk close beside him at a young age. While other high schoolers were drinking or carousing, I studied hard and made time each night to listen to sermons on the radio. My favorite broadcast was Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll (1). I made time to listen to Pastor Swindoll’s radio show, each evening, and sent away for his Bible study guides to enhance my listening experiences.
My whole life, I’ve made a conscious choice to walk with God and live by faith.
Nevertheless, I’ve made countless tragic mistakes that have cost me dearly. The choices I’ve made have come at a high price – to me and others. It’s taken me half a lifetime to overcome some of my wrong decisions.
Yet, through it all, God stayed beside me. His love, compassion, and infinite strength have molded me into the person that I am today. My unrelenting convictions have been honed in the fire through countless ordeals that only the Savior could have seen me through.
My fortitude was hard-earned yet of the purest refinement. My trust in God is unbreakable. Nothing has ever touched my life that was not allowed by God. He prepares, equips, and supports me every moment of my existence. Everything in my past, present, and future has a purpose, even if it is only to remind me of my weakness and need for divine intervention. My testimony has been purified through time and experience. There’s no substitute for either.
I’m glad that God uses broken things, as He’s been melting and refining me most of my life. I pray that others may be strengthened by my witness.
Reference:
- Swindoll, C. R. https://www.insight.org/