Charlotte woke up with a pain in her chest. She knew it was stress. She looked at the clock on the night stand. The time 1:05 stared back at her. She hadn’t even been asleep for two hours. For the rest of the night, she just tossed and turned in bed. At 5am she got up. “Might as well,” she thought to herself. As she got ready for work, she felt as if a giant weight was around her shoulder. As hard as she worked, why was money, or lack of money always an issue. She was already a month late on her mortgage. She had told her mortgage company last month, that she would get caught up on her next paycheck. That didn’t happen.
Charlotte, at one point, had a good job as a programmer for a large insurance company. The company was bought out though, and the next thing you know, she was out of a job. That was three years ago. Her severance package got her through her first year. She had hoped she would find a programming job quickly, and would be able to bank her severance money, but it didn’t work out that way. While she was still job hunting, she had been forced to take a part-time job at the convenience store about a block away from where she lived. Part-time is all they were offering. Now, since she was part-time, sometimes she got more, hours, and sometimes she got less. It just depended on the store’s need for the week, and to top it off, now she had no benefits.
Even worse, her boyfriend decided to take a new job in Atlanta. They had been together a little over a year, and she was starting to allow herself to think they had something that would last. Once he was offered the job in Atlanta though, there was no talk about a future together. He was leaving, and that was it. So long, and take care. It’s been good to know you.
Through all of her financial trouble, Charlotte made a point to set a little aside to give to her church. It wasn’t a tenth, but it was something. She felt that was all she could give at this time. She still had all of her bills that she had when her income was three times what it was now. She felt though, that even through her struggles, God’s Word needed to go forth, and that could only happen when people give. Ministries need money, and the church building still needed to be maintained.
She often wondered though, why God would allow her go through all of these tribulations. It was like she couldn’t even get a break. She thought about some of her friends, who couldn’t care less about God, or trying to follow him, and they were doing great. Great jobs. Great relationships. Great everything. Life sure was not fair. Not at all.
Sunday came, and Charlotte was tired. She was tired of not having a job, tired of all the financial stress she was going through, tired of hurting due to a failed relationship. She was just tired. She got herself together though, and dragged herself to church. She usually went to the 8:00 service, and then went to Sunday School after that.
She tried to put up a good front. Everyone always seemed so happy, and like they had everything all together, while it seemed like her life was falling apart. Again, the thought entered her mind about how unfair this all was. Now she would never wish anything bad on anyone, but, why should things be going so well for them, and not her?
Pastor Ross preached a good sermon, but it just didn’t seem like it was anything that she could apply to her life right now. As she left the sanctuary, she thought about just going home. She hadn’t even looked at her Sunday School lesson. She decided though to go on to her Sunday School class, even though she didn’t do the lesson.
Charlotte left Sunday School with a new joy in her heart. She felt like lifting her arms to the sky and praising God. Trust. That’s what the lesson was about. Trusting God, when your back is against the wall, and there does not seem to be any way out. Trusting, that no matter what, God has a plan for your life. Trusting that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him, will have eternal life. Life with God. She knew all these things before, but for some reason, today this had really resonated with her, especially in her current state of mind.
The lesson was based off of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” The lesson emphasized that we are to trust God’s plan, even in difficult circumstances. From a human point of view, life may not always seem fair, but God has a specific plan for our lives, and is working toward fulfilling that purpose.
In this, Charlotte found peace, and she found joy. Although, it didn’t seem to be fair, with the things she was dealing with, she believed that God was moving in her life to fulfill his purpose. She just had to trust in him, and trust his guidance through everything she was going through.