Courtesy of Mike Gilland
Key Points
I have had several “job descriptions” over my lifetime, starting at age 10 when, while reading a comic book, I saw an ad inviting me to become a GRIT Newspaper delivery boy. I took them up on it, and from scratch, built an entire route of weekly newspaper customers. That job led to me getting a bigger route of the daily evening paper, and my experience grew even more.
Once I turned 16 and got my driver’s license, I was hired as a pharmacy tech and prescription deliverer for my neighborhood.
In college, everything changed, including my major, and I found myself with my first job in radio. From there, I spent five years in television, then back to radio before being called into ministry.
Finally, after 36 years, I now find myself back in radio as an operations manager and talk show host.
Of all of these amazing privileges and opportunities to be gainfully employed, none of them holds first place in my heart and mind as my favorite job. That title is reserved for my role as husband and daddy to my children.
There is something amazing and powerful that God gives us in our roles within family. Sadly, many people jump into and out of marriage so quickly that they short-circuit the beautiful and peaceful result that happens in the bond of a committed marriage.
People may look at my family and say, “Yeah, but you are lucky…” My answer would be, “No, we worked and prayed, because we, too, had difficult patches in our marriage. We persevered the rough times, we were forgiving, both as spouses and as parents, and we pressed on, trusting in God.”
When a couple sets their eyes not on their own needs, but on the Lord and His plan for them and their children, wonderful things begin to happen. Just like that seed that has been planted beneath the soil, life breaks out, roots begin to extend downward, and while much of the early season of that planting happens beneath the surface, in time that plant breaks out and rises toward the sun.
Maturity happens just like that for that seed. And it happens much the same way for our lives.
In time, our children had their own children. And for us, those grandchildren now number 10. Each one is different, precious, having their own personality and giftings. And each one brings such delight to our hearts and joy to our everyday lives.
Hey, life isn’t perfect and often isn’t easy. But we need to hang on, and hang in there, and in time discover that the joy is in the journey.