WORKING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Feb. 7, 2010 (Isa. 6:3-8; Lk. 5:1-11)

“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

I heard on the news this morning that unemployment in our nation is currently at 9%. While this is down 1% from the previous 10% it is certainly anything but good. Or is it? One young man I know had always wanted to teach scuba diving. The only problem was that he was working as a computer analyst in a midwestern city, hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. That is, until he lost his job. Then, like many of the unemployed, he spent hours every day writing and rewriting his resume, describing his training and skills as a computer analyst in glowing terms. But no job offers came. That's when he decided to “…put out into [the] deep water…” of his God-given passions and desires to see what he really felt called to do. That's when he decided to leave his apartment and winter clothing behind and move to Florida, where he took the scuba diving courses he had always dreamed of taking. Today that young man is working as a scuba diving instructor, taking groups of people (many of whom are from the Midwest!) “…out into deep water…” to follow their heart's desire.

No doubt about it, unemployment can be ugly. But unemployment can also offer a person the opportunity to take a second look at how they might use their gifts in new ways. Unemployment can give people the chance to do the volunteer service they had never had time to do before. Unemployment can provide the time to take advantage of the many government programs available and go back to school. Some might choose to continue in their chosen field - taking courses designed to give them additional skills and, therefore, additional value to a future employer. Others might choose to do something entirely different; to explore areas they had previously thought about but had never had the time or opportunity to pursue.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send?” And the young computer analyst said, “Here I am…send me!”

-Vinal Van Benthem