CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/31068
God works through hardship to prepare us for the future | By Pastor Michael Fletcher ONE DAY T hat steel was as hard as any steel I had ever encountered and I had just encountered it again, on the same spot on my shin for the second time in as many days. The first time it left a black-and-blue knot the size of an egg, which had only moderately receded. This time I nearly fainted, literally! I don’t know if I ever experienced as much pain – same spot, right on top of the already aching knot. I was paying my way through Bible College while working at UPS, loading package cars in the wee hours of the morning. In the blistering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter, those huge doors went up and we went to work. I was confident in my calling to be a pastor and I was excited to be training for that vocation. But the UPS was just a job. And when I felt that pain shooting through my leg, I was not certain it was a job I wanted. After I picked myself up off the concrete floor and gingerly limped back toward my workspace, I reasoned that one day I would get to the place where I could really bloom but for now, I had to earn a few bucks and keep on plugging away in school. Looking back on those days, I am now convinced that I was learning as much at UPS about life and leadership as I was in school. If fact, UPS was like the lab where the principles learned in school could be put to practice. As it turns out God had me in two schools. So many people yearn for that better day, that “one day” when everything will fall in line and finally go their way. But consider Joseph (the young guy in the Bible with the coat of many colors). He had been thrown into a pit by his brothers and eventually sold as a slave – a slave! Now, that’s a bad day! He winds up being sold again to a wealthy man in Egypt, far away from his home and the father he so dearly loved. But the Bible says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.” (Genesis 39:2 ESV) God blessed and prospered Joseph in less than ideal conditions; in the conditions where he found himself. God had a plan that included Joseph’s “today” and not just his “one day.” The same is true for you and me. Yes, God has a plan for your future but that plan includes your present, your “today.” God has something for you today — a lesson to learn, an opportunity to serve, a place to bloom. Don’t live life waiting for a better day. Get all that God has for you out of today!CV Michael Fletcher is the Senior Pastor of Manna Church. faith Is Finding the Right Mortgage Leaving You Tangled? Dealing with a “large” mortgage company can be a sticky process. Hard-to-reach agents, lack of personal service, and higher fees all weave together to make for a complicated task. At Carolina Mortgage, we have over 25 years serving the Fayetteville Area. Everything is done right here, locally—and your loan stays with us. Let us untangle the mortgage web and find you the best loan — quick. Pre-qualify online at www.carolina-mortgage.com experience is just around the corner Three Locations in Fayetteville: 6920 Cliffdale Road - 868-4300 • 584 Executive Pl #101 - 689-0418 • 6448 Yadkin Road - 826-3650 For our latest rates, visit us on facebook.com/carolinamortgage NMLS# 64057 16 | May/June • 2011