The Man that “Puts It On The Line” Experiences God

If you are going to be all in believing God, you will have times where you must put it on the line. When you do, you place yourself in a position to experience God. He wants you to experience Him and His strength. He wants you to know that He is trustworthy and especially when the path ahead is uncertain. But it takes a certain spiritual toughness and courage to trust Him when the destination is unknown. Few follow Him in this way. But those that do will see Him and experience His power and strength in ways others never will. The story below is one of those times when I put it on the line and encountered God in ways that are now deeply rooted in my soul.

The Challenge of Starting a Family

Several years ago, my wife and I were going through nine years of trying to have children. We were unable to do so. Many around us were having children, but it just was not happening for us. We prayed. Friends prayed. We went through all the picking and prodding that doctors do, but nothing worked for us. Many understand this pain. Many have been there.

At the time, we did not know it but God had a plan in the midst of our pain. He had a specific child chosen before all eternity just for our family. He just needed to put us on that path to see His plan come to fruition.

His Plan Not Mine

After several years with no success, my wife mentioned the possibility of adoption. At first, I was not sure. I wanted to think and pray it through. She prayed God would show me what His intention was for our family. As I prayed, I started to notice something as I read and studied through the Bible.

I started to think this through and began to realize that God wanted to grow our family in the same way He grows His own, through adoption. He wanted our family to reflect His. This would be a part of our witness to the world around us. Through adoption God also would enable us to more fully understand the love He has for us and all those He adopts into His family. It would reveal to me in a practical way how God’s love for those He adopts is the same love He has for His Son. This imagery was compelling to me, and it made sense. It gave me the clarity and direction I needed to lead our family.

Shortly after this, I met my wife for lunch. I told her I was ready to start the process of adoption. The adoption process was a long one and it was expensive. From the very beginning, my wife prayed that God would raise up the money to pay for it. I, on the other hand, was looking into loans and other ways to come up with the money.

As we continued through the process, we had several heartbreaks. There were times when we were up to the last step and things fell through. That was hard but I was convinced God was raising up one specific child made especially for our family. The path to get to that point was unknown but I trusted Him.

Into the Storm of the Unknown: the Place You Experience God

Several months prior to this time, my wife had left her job to care for her grandmother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. That answer was easy after reading, “if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” So we had transitioned from a two income family to a one income family. My job working for a steel company was now the sole income for our family.

On top of the challenges related to starting a family, the economy started to tank. The company I was working for began the process of cutbacks. I started to get the sense that God was going to move us to something else in life but the timing seemed like it couldn’t be worse. It certainly did not make sense to me but in my spirit, I knew something was stirring. I sensed that we were about to walk into the storm of the unknown. We would face a time that would require a spiritual toughness and faith that was far greater than we had ever experienced up to this point in time. A time was coming when we would be challenged to put it on the line.

During this time I was continually drawn back to a specific passage in the Bible.

For weeks this passage kept finding its way into my life. I would listen to a Christian message on the radio and it would be mentioned. In my morning prayer time, it kept popping into my mind and I had a hard time thinking of anything else. I used to read a daily devotional book and it would be included in the writing. It would be included in sermons and in conversations I had with others. It was uncanny how often it would surface.

So I started to spend time just thinking through what Jesus was saying in these words. It became clear to me that He was leading me to zero in on seeking Him above everything else so He could lead and prepare me for what was ahead. If I did this He would take care of the “needs” we normally worry about.

I knew if God was making such an impression on me with these specific words, then we were about to enter into a time where most people would worry. It became evident that God did not want me to worry but instead wanted me to trust Him with the needs of my family.

I remember telling my wife that as crazy as it sounds I think God is going to call us away from this job. I could not tell her what God was calling us to. I did not know. But as each day passed it became more evident that He was calling us to trust Him with our future and I was leaving this job.

Time to Put It On the Line

The day came when I was given two options. I could take a different position in another department with different hours, or I could take a severance package. The other job was going in the opposite direction of my career goals and the hours were worse for our family. By then, I knew I was to take the severance package. That was clear to me. It was time to put it on the line. Few understood but I knew it without a doubt. Another passage came to mind. This has been my fall back ever since I became a Christian. It applies to so much of life.

In the General Manager’s Office

I made the decision to take the severance package and leave the job. The severance package would keep us going for about three to four months. Shortly after making my decision to take the severance I was asked to stop by the General Manager’s office.

I went to his office and sat down. He asked me if I was sure this was the decision I wanted to make. I sensed at the time he was sincerely concerned that I was making a mistake. I understood his concern. If left to my own understanding, I would have thought the same. But I told him I sensed God was calling me to go. He asked if I had another opportunity. I did not. But I said to him that I trusted God was leading me and He would take care of me, and my family. I could tell in his eyes he thought I was crazy.

I could not disagree with him. It looked crazy from the outside looking in. But there was a side of me that was actually excited about the adventure of it all. I wondered what God had in store for us in the days ahead.

Lessons Forged in the Fire

It ended up that I was off work for nine months. It was a difficult time. I did not like not having a steady income. I would think about my role to lead and provide for a family we were trying to expand. We were in the middle of the process of adoption and I did not have a job. I prayed often to maintain the right perspective. The struggle was real. There were days I would pray multiple times because the doubts rolled in and it was hard to stay on track. But God took care of us. I worked odd jobs to make a little money on the side and did what I needed to do. I worked hard to find the next opportunity.

It was a hard time but it was an exciting time and I learned a lot about God. I got to know Him in a deeper way. I had the privilege to see His care first hand. Bills were paid for us without us knowing how. We received checks and money in the mail out of nowhere. It was a time when God showed me many things and strengthened my faith. Lessons forged in the fire are lessons that just seem to take deeper root in your soul.

The Adoption

So what about the adoption? When I left the job we really thought it would take about 3-4 months to land another job. As we were going through the process of leaving my job we were told I had some sort of stock plan that needed to be cashed out. And so we did. When we totaled the amount it was exactly what we needed to completely pay off the adoption. At the time, we didn’t know it would take 9 months to find a job but it was clear that God wanted us to use this money to pay for the adoption. We were to trust Him with our future and needs. God provided and I stopped looking for loans!

Near the end of the 9 months, we had been picked to adopt. Shortly after we got a call. We were told that the birth mother (God’s miracle worker) had the baby and it was a boy. It was an incredible time. What was even more incredible was that on the same day we received the news that I had a new job in Charlotte, NC. God provided a son and a job on the same day after 9 years of infertility and 9 months of unemployment.

I look back and realize the reason it took so long to find the next job is that our son had not yet been born. We were not leaving until God’s plan took place. When he was born the job came and we were moving a few weeks later. The timing of God is an incredible thing.

The Close of the Chapter

Within the first year in the new job, a steel manufacturing association was holding a conference in Charlotte. The attendees toured the mill where I was now working. After the tour, one of the guys from my team came to tell me there was someone that wanted to speak with me in the main office.

I went, and there was the General Manager from my previous job. I told him about how our home sold for several thousand dollars more than we were asking, about the adoption of my son and how we had settled into life in NC. He was all smiles. I then looked him in the eyes and asked him, “Do you remember the conversation we had in your office and how I said God would take care of me?” He said, “Yes, I remember it well.” I told him, “He took care of me, didn’t He?” He said, “Yes, He did.”

Do I always walk by faith in this way? No, I do not. I struggle like all men. But this is what I know. Until you put it on the line, there are things about God you just do not get to see and experience first hand. His lessons are often forged in the fire. But when you do put it on the line, He imprints these lessons deep within your soul. They solidify your faith. But this takes courage and spiritual toughness and you must put yourself out there. I saw God come through for me as a man and us as a family. I experienced His strength in me this time and other times since. When you experience this you will never forget what He has done in your life. You will have experienced the God of the universe.

In your corner,

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

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