“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:12
Another spiritual, encouraging good morning message for you...
This is an excerpt from Karen's part of our now published book,
An Almighty God? Get Serious!//Trophies of Grace.
I hope God blesses you somehow with it:
I got my first checking account, and eventually bought my first car. When it became clear that I didn’t want to spend from sunup till sundown working inside the restaurant, I sought out a different job. With my heavy equipment experience, I got hired by Monroe County Public Works as a heavy equipment operator.
I was the first woman ever hired by the county as an equipment operator. I got hired because the cocky old supervisor wanted to tick off the men who weren’t pulling their weight on the job. In spite of the disadvantage of being a pawn, with time, I earned respect among the men as a good operator.
I really wasn’t into women’s liberation specifically, just a woman tired of working for minimum wage and willing to think outside of the box. This job paid twice as much as any other job I knew of, and I liked it most of the time. The boss liked me because I was easy on the equipment, unlike some of the men who liked to horse around. The only problem was that operating equipment wasn’t something I could see myself doing as I got older. After four years working that job I decided it was time to set a plan in motion to get into the medical field.
As a child I was always nursing dolls, pets, and stray animals. As I grew older I still always had the first aid kit on hand and was willing to take control of any potential medical emergency situations. I could find solutions and treatments for things like broken fingers, sprains, strains, bee stings, cuts, and lacerations. It was something that I was a natural at.
I decided I might as well learn how to do it properly and make money at it. But first I needed to become a High School equivalent. I went to the Key Largo Library and studied basic Math, English, and History.
After getting my GED diploma, I went to the Red Cross and took every course they offered to the public. In the end I was a First Responder and Red Cross certified CPR and First Aid Instructor.
In the Fall of 1984 I took the entrance exam to Valencia Community College, was accepted into the Respiratory Therapy program, and moved to Orlando.
THIS spiritual encouraging good morning message:
As He has done for me, God has saved Karen in so many ways.
Even when she didn't have a clue... even when she didn't have a clue that she didn't have a clue... the Almighty was at work on her behalf. Just look at all the ways God was actively empowering her to make her way in a world that was nebulous and difficult -- especially for this young adolescent girl out on her own, whose circumstances never allowed her the chance to finish high school!
Where would she (or I...or you) be, were it not for His tender loving care for us? Karen and I agree, the Lord God deserves all glory, honor, and praise.
I hope that in reading even this small portion of her memoire, you will consider the pathway of Karen's successes and marvel with us about our great God, who is faithful to be there for us and to lead His followers with wisdom. I hope you will trust Him and learn to trust Him more.
My Christian friends and I often reminisce about the ways in which He has helped us through difficult situations, and invariably, one of us will interject the discussion with, “I just cannot understand how anyone can make it through life without relying on God.”
Here's more from Karen's story...
I rented a house, found a roommate, and got a job delivering pizza to pay my tuition and household expenses.
I didn’t know anything about grants, I thought that I had to figure out how to pay my own way, so I only took as many classes as I could afford at a time.
My boss gave me permission to add a little entrepreneurial twist to my delivery job. I hired two boys to ride around town in the back of my truck for a couple of hours on Thursday evenings, jumping out at apartment complexes to put coupons on every door, and on cars in grocery store parking lots. I put my initials on the back of the coupons. Every order that came in with my initials on the coupon was given to me to deliver, and at the end of the week the boys got paid a quarter for every one. It worked out perfectly! I made enough money to pay for everything I needed, and the boys got a little cash in their pockets.
My first day of college classes was surreal. As I walked into my auditorium class I felt like I was going to disappear with anxiety. I tried to convince myself that I belonged there....