By Emily K. Harrison
A long time ago, I watched the movie Dear God, which was about a con man who ended
up working in a Post Office in the dead-end letters department. He accidentally mailed
money to a woman who wrote a letter to God, and when he went to try to get it back, he
ended up walking away and letting her keep it. One of his co-workers found out about it
and thought that he had done something wonderful. She decided that they should all
start answering the letters and helping the people, but when she went to him to talk
about it, he completely ignored her and told her that he had no interest in helping
people (which was true – he didn’t want to help and didn’t have a heart to help, but God
used him anyway). What came to me as I watched the movie was how God has a purpose
for us and can use us to speak into people’s lives (to help them hear from God) with or
without our knowledge or willingness.
The man in the movie was named Tom. Tom fought his purpose because he thought he
couldn’t possibly be used for good. But as God continued to tug at his heart, and as he
continued to see how lives were being changed through his good deeds, he ended up not
only being changed, but changing others as well as improving the quality of other
people’s lives. The coworkers had nothing to live for before Tom “accidentally” started to
help. I have “accidentally” in quotation marks, because what Tom thought was an
accident, I think was an act of God. God took a con man, a man who had never done
anything for anyone but himself in his entire life, and He used him to bless an entire
community of people. Now, I don’t want to ruin the movie in case you want to see it, so I
won’t tell you what happens, but I will tell you that Tom and his coworkers ended up
facing tremendous opposition. And this is important because sometimes the only way
we know that we’re walking in God’s purpose for our lives is when the journey is the
hardest.
sometimes the only way we know that we’re walking in God’s purpose for our lives is when the journey is the hardest.
No one ever said that finding God’s purpose for our lives would be fun or easy, but it will
be fulfilling. Watch the movie and see how Tom’s life becomes fulfilled. In the meantime, remember that the journey may not always be easy, but the opposition is often there to tell you that you’re on the right track. Turn to God, trust in God, and remember to thank God for Who He is and for all that He’s done, and I promise you, that God’s Word in Philippians 1:6 is true – “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” as you study His Word and seek His Will.
About the Author:
With over 20 years as a public school teacher and counselor, Emily K. Harrison is the author of Teaching Through the Tough Times, a book of encouragement and prayers for educators. She is also the founder of In His Presence Christian Counseling, a small private counseling practice, and she is a minister at her church, teaching and preaching the Gospel, which is her true purpose. Follow her on Twitter @DrEmilyKH or Instagram @HotMessPrayers.
Comments