Jesus and a Voice to Depend On

Growing up in a family of strangers I had siblings and parents but never a friend, never someone I could talk with who would listen.  Leaving home seemed like a natural thing to do in my teens – hopefully I’d be accepted somewhere.  So, immature and naive, with only the clothes I wore and five dollars in my pocket, I stuck out my thumb and hitchhiked across Canada (the early 70’s were different times, please don’t do that now).

No matter what I strayed into, Jesus was always there to help me out.  His roots had developed in Sunday School, but worldly demands got in the way and I forgot Him – fortunately, He didn’t forget me.  Fifteen years later my children got me back to church, and I found Christ again.  

It took a while for contemplation to set in for all those years when I didn’t remember Jesus, all the times I now realized that He’d been there for me.  Working in trades can be hazardous, and I ruminated on how often I’d been in a serious situation and somehow survived.

   Looking back, I can see how the Holy Spirit frequently guided me into better situations – like His continual encouragement over several months that resulted in a big life change.  My thoughts had been bubbling about college, then one winter day I crawled out of my truck and went off to college to learn a profession.  Several years later middle management found me, then provided for a good retirement.  Thank you, Spirit.

Somewhere along the line I felt the need to reach out to folks, to show them Jesus.  I especially thought of the many drifting young men I’d known during my youthful wandering – most were searching for work, some pursued a girlfriend or life’s meaning, a few had escaped a bad situation.  We were all too young, a bit lost and lonely, spending too many nights in bars; our only guidance was from each other or a boss’s temper.  Those men rarely complained though – they were too busy looking ahead, building a life, maybe a family.  It would be good to know them again.

   I’d been writing editorials for a local newspaper and this seemed like a good route to reach people.  For many years I wrote; showing what Jesus did at work, encouraged people to get to know Him, to find a church and give it a chance.  With a couple of exceptions, these were well received by fellow Christians and folks sometimes let me know if I’d gone too long without writing.  It also became painfully obvious when the writing was inspired and when it was not. 

After retirement, my wife and I moved to another province.  This kept me in the “to-dos” for several years.  During this period my “giving-back” became more like a holding pattern while “giving-in” to never-ending projects.  Then, one evening last winter things changed when our small group Pastor closed with prayer.  I don’t recall much of what he said, except for one line; “I pray that David finds his calling…”.  And there it was, God’s Spirit, reminding me again that it was time to get past my worldly hindrances and grow.

We often don’t recognize Jesus and God’s Spirit guiding us from within, or through others.  That still small voice can be crowded out by the world’s noise.  Please practice listening for it, and when good things happen or develop over time, especially when discovered by ruminating, look for the real source and be thankful.