Life as a Christian Woman

²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall
to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
³¹So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10: 29-31 (NIV)

Today is going to be a tough day for thousands of Americans. As I’m sure you have read, General Motors, once the nation’s largest employer, is filing for bankruptcy. Up to 16 plants will be closed, with more than 20,000 laid off, in addition to the thousands more who have already lost their jobs with the company.

The domino effect will carry through to thousands of employees at companies that supply parts to GM. And those who have held GM stocks and bonds risk losing everything… and at the very least will be left with much less than before.

As I have read the papers and stories on the internet in the past weeks, I keep reading comments on how folks had put their faith into GM, that GM is letting them down, destroying their lives and livelihoods.  The problem is, why would anyone put their faith in an earthly entity? GM, Enron, Chrysler, the banking industry, etc., are all just jobs.

When we put our “faith” into a paycheck, we are taking bits of faith away from God. We need to lean on Him and trust Him 100%. He longs for us to have that kind of faith in Him. And He will provide.

We get so wrapped up in earthly endeavours… jobs, social life, our to-do lists, that we lose focus. A job is a job. We will go through hard times, we will go through good times. But put your faith where it belongs, at the foot of the throne.

I had a friend who lost his job a while back. Despite numerous job applications, he wasn’t getting any nibbles. One day his wife came home and found him peacefully reading the Bible. She questioned how he could be so calm with so much going on, didn’t he think it was more important to get out there keep looking?

He gently reminded his wife that he was doing all that he could, that there was no need to panic. He reminded her that God was in control, and that for God to be faithful, they would have to be faithful. After a few more tense weeks, he found another job.

Now, I’m not saying that if you can’t find a job, you must be faltering in your faith! No, not at all. I am saying that no matter your situation, you must be STRONG in your faith! It is so easy to crawl into a hole and be angry at the world. So easy get so stressed that you forget that famous scripture from Matthew. God cares about the smallest, tiniest details in our lives. He is there to lean on through these times. Don’t forget Him in your worries:

Don’t tell God how big your storm is; Tell the storm how big your GOD is!

In case you think this is all bluster coming from someone insulated from the real world, it isn’t. My husband works for General Motors, as do many members of his family. We are all anxious today. But we have prayed our way through the last few months, and will continue to do so. God is in control! Lives may change, but God will still be in control, and will never forsake us.

Be strong in the face of the storm!