Flight MTS27 Ready for Takeoff…Hello?

I welcome a guest blogger today -  my son, Toby.  From a parent’s perspective, this devo is really heartwrenching, but I’m so very thankful that Toby has such a firm grip on God.  I doubt that he’s the only twenty-something who’s going through this.  Read and be encouraged!

“Control, this is flight MTS27 ready for take off. Over.”

Nothing.

“Control, this is flight MTS27 ready for TAKE OFF. Over.”

Again, nothing.

“Control, this is flight MTS27 do you read me? Over.”

Still nothing.

—–

THE UPDATE

—–

It’s been one year. One year since my Jetta caught on fire and melted on the side of I-65 South. One year since I was forced to sell my beautiful home in the suburbs as part of a messy & expensive divorce settlement. One year (almost) since my trip to New Zealand that forever changed me.

In that year’s time I’ve sold all my possessions leaving me with just my clothes and a few bedroom items (I have more furniture in my office than at the house I’m staying in), I’ve given away my dogs to be able to move (the only thing that made that bearable was knowing they went together to a good home), I’ve lost a business partner and project manager. And I’ve been trying to figure out what to do next ever since.

My freelance business has dwindled down to a trickle with clients not having the money to spend on projects. Chalk it up to a bad economy I guess.

I made the decision, not to jump ship, but to pursue other options back in March and get a “big boy” job. Ever since then I’ve been applying to jobs on a weekly basis and probably have been on a few dozen interviews both on the phone and in person. I was able to get the attention of Southwest Airlines for their social media position and hold it for a little bit, but they chose someone else. The same goes with every, single, interview I’ve been on since. If I’m lucky I get a “Thanks, but no thanks.” Often it’s just… silence. Nothing. More waiting.

That I keep getting rejected is fine. I mean, it totally sucks, but at the same time I know that’s not what God has in store for me.

The question is, then, what have I been created for? Where’s my sweet spot in the puzzle where I fit perfectly and add to the beauty of the over all “bigger picture?” I want nothing more than to do that which God has created me for, but I’m having a hard time figuring out what that is. I know it’s in a place of influence, but the platform I’m currently on isn’t much higher than a soap box.

I’ve been created to fly. My engines are running. I’m just waiting for clearance.

—–

THE TAKE AWAY / IN THE MEAN TIME

—–

I love to garden so I can totally relate to this. In order to produce more fruit and a thicker, fuller foliage we often times have to prune back our plants. I feel as if I’ve been pruned down to the root ball… all my stalks and stems have been chopped off; cut down to nothing. I’m just a heap of nubs. (Heap of Nubs… that’s a good band name. I digress.)

However, while growth on the outside isn’t flourishing, growth on the inside is. The roots are growing deeper; stretching for life-sustaining water. They grow deep so that when the rain (the blessing) comes, they can hold on and not be overtaken. They can withstand the blessing of water and begin to grow again.

Plants that don’t have a firm root foundation can easily be overcome by the rain and be washed away. Can’t the same be said for our own lives?

So this is where I am. I’m growing deeper (while sitting on the tarmac – if you’ll allow me to mix metaphors here) and reaching for that life-sustaining water (for me that’s God Word) so that when the rain does come – and I believe it will – I’ll be able to grow and flourish and not be overtaken by it.

Where are you? Have you been cut back? Are you waiting for clearance to take off? What gets you through the hard times?

I welcome your feedback.