A Thinking Parable

Here is the parable of two men:

Both men recently lost their jobs and began an unsettling time of job searching in a downsize economy. In an uncanny fashion they paralleled one another in their fervor to search all opportunities for work. Phone calls were made, resumes sent out, research done, and appointments with key persons conducted. Hours were spent online researching teaching opportunities at schools and pastor openings (amazingly these were the interests of both). Weeks go by and the hard work and diligence of each man was noticeable but with few results.

They both were very much alike in their actions but differed greatly in one area: Their thinking.

The one man was driven to work long hours because of fear - fear of failure, fear of being discovered as a nobody, fear of being known as a person who had an empty and futile life anchored in status and accomplishment. He was consumed with himself and his own status. He was worried about the future and what would happen to his family.

He was a deficit thinker.

The second man anchored his search in a relationship with God that began each day with solitude and centered throughout the day on awareness. He saw God in each "rejection" and His hand on each appointment. God was at work in proving His presence and care in every step of the journey. His life was one of being at rest... of seeking ways to serve others. He was full of drive but not driven. He was enjoying this special time of trust and faith because he saw God even in the liminal places of life.

He was an abundance thinker.

Two men both facing the same obstacles with the same fervor...but both completely different in their thinking. The abundance thinker had a totally different mindset because he saw himself from God's perspective. The only limits he had were the limits on him to help him grow in faith and glorify Him.

The thinking factor that made the difference? A growing relationship with a real God that transcended books and ideas and permeated thoughts and life. It's relating to a God holding a hand through good and bad times to color perspective on the larger scope of living. It's seeing God's fingerprints on the now. The fears still linger but the largeness of God is growing.

My parable is a real life story...I choose abundance and the peace of trust.