GOD'S GIFT.....

This past Sunday as part of our all age christmas celebration, various people spoke on the Gift of God to them. Our adult ministries officer (sara hayward) invited Stuart Marshall, who is our assistant church treasurer, to speak on this subject and Stuart shared the following:

When I was first asked by Sara to say what God has done for me this year, I was in initially reluctant. After all, what HAD he done for me? When this year, I was in initially reluctant. After all, what HAD he done for me? Then Caroline nudged me and reminded me about my rather enforced career change. That was it then! In April this year the Company I work for changed hands and we went back into the private sector. At the time my job was a Personnel Manager. Naturally with a Company changing hands, the new owners had their own views as to what the Company should look like. However, my colleagues and I were assured by our boss that our jobs were safe, as they had retained the same role as ours in a sister Company. We were then told that the headcount of our department had to be reduced by some 25 per cent. I wasn’t worried as our boss reiterated his previous assurances. We were then all called to a meeting when details of the job losses would be announced. The three of us were shocked, to say the least, that our boss now stated that we were to be reduced from three to two. What was worse, this would not be achieved by seniority, but by suitability. In effect, we would be applying for our own jobs. A few weeks later, it was the day of reckoning. Much to my surprise (with tongue firmly in cheek) it was me (I?) who was out of a job. I then found myself applying for jobs like it was going out of style – both externally and internally – otherwise, for the first time ever, I would be unemployed. I mentioned my predicament to one of the few senior managers I consider to be a friend and he mentioned that he had a vacancy that I might be interested in. However, it would mean a career change and it involved working shifts – including nights. As it happened, it was a job I’d thought about on a number of occasions as it involved working with a group of staff I love and respect. I had an interview and the day before we left for Devon for our holiday, it was confirmed that I’d been appointed as Service Delivery Manager. I started training a couple of weeks later. I’ve now been passed out and I can and do work on my own. Clearly God was looking after me but at the same time challenging me. The point I’m trying to make here is that God will help you but at the same time, you’ve got to help yourself. I know that you have been praying for me and I thank you and God for everything you and he have done for me. Not least my family for putting up with me being even more grumpy than usual.