Trials

[Jenny A]

but again, day in day out for 20+ years as being a 'statistical anomaly ' is proof enough for me to maintain what I believe. I have been counting the good with the bad.. and I noticed often times the 'bad' works out better than I could ever plan. Get diagnosised with HIV, Find God.
Got to peek through the gates of Hell find wisdom and knoweledge, loose a GF find a wife.
Miss out on the first 5 years of a the 'honeymoon period' due to substance abuse, locked in a life long soul mate.
lost my Job, started a business with a partner, Partner got lazy started to steal.
The owner of a company I did work for who I had only met one other time before handed me 25K (exactly what I needed to the dollar) no intrest loan to go out on my own.
Lost my biggest customer, miracously bought into a franchise that normally would cost 250K dollars for the cost of a plane ticket and a week of living expenses in Boston.(All we had)
Worked the franchise, became a teacher, and consultant for a specific brand of refrigeration. was not paid what was promised. Went ahead and developed a completely new refrigeration system (all electric truck refrigeration/for deleveries.) Two patents were awarded for that.
Lost the lease for my shop, was given a huge airconditioned shop in a very nice part of town for alittle more than what I was paying before...

Those are just some of the big things that has happened.. There are hundreds if not thousands of little impossiable victories we win everyday.

That is why I am not scared going into this.

Each 'anomoly' is like a stick or twig. On it's own is very easily broken, but when you amass all of these occourances together you quick compile something as dense as a oak tree.

That is (impart) what God had to offer in the way of 'proof', that helps me sustain my faith. What I describe is exactly why one needs to keep knocking. Because all of the things I mentioned above are life changing negitive events. Or atleast they have that potential. Each instance was a time God sent a storm to test what I had built. And each time apart of what I had built washed away, but there were aspects that remained, because I had built them on Christ. So I began to rebuild on what was left. 20 years later when the rains come we just buckel down, read a book or watch a movie. Because I know what we have built may get shaken, but will hold fast. If I had stopped knocking at any point in my past not only would I not be here doing what I am doing I might be standing on your side of eternity making Frodo and woot's life more difficult.

The positive HIV is just silly. I'm sorry, but the false positive rate on HIV tests is about 15 in a thousand (1.5%). So I'm seeing that you were one of the unlucky 1.5% who got to worry.

After that, I see a biography of ups and downs. What you call knocking during the downs, I call optimism and gumption. God helps those who help themselves, which is to say he doesn't help anyone.

I knocked in my teens. I got no response. But my biography before and since is full of ups, downs, and miraculous saves. I too have suffered a false positive or too, not to mention job loss and the wondrous trade of the bad husband for the good one. What did it was continuing to try, not god.

I spent this weekend nodding politely to comments about my "god-given" talent. The fact that it took years to learn and I'm still getting better is discounted by those who see god in everything. But many of them could do as well if only they painted as often and self critiqued as critically. And that's true of most professions.



Genetics; place, time and economic circumstances at birth; parents or guardians; work: that's what makes people succeed, fail, lose, or win. And those things can be seen and explained. Saying "god did it" doesn't add anything.