Netflix & Jesus

DECEMBER 2ND, EVENING

After what seemed like a long and productive day, I decided to unplug and unwind.

I have had a long running subscription to Netflix (the DVD by mail kind, not the streaming service) with close to 400 movies in my queue, and this week's movie was waiting to be watched.  As I opened my little red envelope and slid out the movie, the title sounded very familiar, and a bit ironic:  Heaven is For Real.

I had spent the last two weeks of work praying that God would allow me to stay at work, that God would allow me to find what I am good for, and now just 36 hours after getting the ax at a job that I was praying about, I have a movie to watch that is all about religion and the after life.  Touche.

Before I began the movie, I took a shower, brushed my teeth and made myself a nice cup of decaf coffee.  I wanted to be fully relaxed for the first time in over a day.  It worked.

I started the movie, and as the movie and its plot lines moved on, I found myself routing (yelling!) for the kid to talk it out with his father.  The mind of a young boy is full of vivid dreams, cartoons, chocolate, and the occasional dinosaur.  It's not the same as being in your mid 30's where you want to talk to everyone at the water cooler about the weird dream you had last night.  

So, the more that the pastor tormented himself over what little information his son had told him, the more I wanted to grab him by his shirt, smack him one time in the face and say "Go talk to your son and get him to tell you EVERYTHING HE SAW!"

Just before the end of the movie, I came upon a realization about my current situation and how it may relate to God.  I like to think that this is the first of many things that I will come to understand about the work of God.  I grabbed a piece of paper, and began to write down my thoughts.  This is the expanded version of what I wrote:

I had spent each day after work for the last two weeks praying to God to protect me at my job, to allow me to work at my job, and to allow me to find peace at my job.  God wants me to be happy, but He also knows that I have two strikes on my record with this company, and this company does not forgive employees for mistakes made in the past.  They will carry those two strikes for as long as I'm employed there.

I believe that by me losing my job, it was because God wants me to make a fresh start.  He wants me to move on, to find a new challenge and to start with a clean slate.  God knows that the longer I stay in this job, the longer those two strikes would continue to weigh down my thoughts.  He knows that I would not be able to be happy with that burden always over my shoulder looking in on me.

So, God loves me so much that He will provide me with a new start at a job that He will choose for me!  God knows what is best for me.  Thanks be to God for loving me!

I felt an overwhelming calmness come over me after writing my notes.  I was able to enjoy the rest of the movie, and I was able to go to bed at a much more respectable time. 

I knew that God has plans for me, now the next step would begin:  what should I be doing until God's plan for me is revealed?

With that question fresh in my mind, I woke up on Wednesday morning and started my morning routine all over again; right up until the part where you grab the keys and head out the door.  Then I stopped in my tracks, pulled a chair up to my keyboard, and started working on today's employment listings.

I sure hope God's plan hits my mailbox soon.

Up Next:  Grab Bag!