SETBACKS CAN BE DIVINE SET-UPS: BERNARD KEE’S STORY
Most of us have a pretty good idea of what our skills and strengths are because we know what it takes to get a job done, and even exceed expectations in the daily grind. But are we as confident when asked what our real passion is?
God asked Bernard Kee that question when he was laid off a year ago. As the sole breadwinner, the father of three young children knew that passion could not pay the bills but God was pressing him for a response. So Bernard looked deeper within and eventually admitted that he had always loved to cook, though he had never done it for a living. Still, what has that got to do with recovering his livelihood?
Long story short: he was eventually convinced that God was leading him to cook for a living. So he went ahead to get the tools and space needed to set up a private dining business and he hasn’t looked back since.
Did God hand Bernard a formula for success? No. It was the last thing on his mind when he received the shocking news about his retrenchment because he knew that being unemployed would instantly plunge him into a six-figure debt. And when he told God, “Lord, You have to help me out”, he never imagined that God would monetize his passion and that a year later, he would be running a full-fledged private dining kitchen serving over 500 diners.
Every time we hear such success stories, we can be quick to conclude that God’s love and speedy answers must go hand in hand. So if God has not given us a quick solution, He’s either not interested to help us out or maybe we are called to ‘suffer His silence’ for spiritual development before some good outcomes will happen later. Indeed, this is nothing but flaky theology!
In truth, God always cares about us - deeply and personally. Proverbs 3:5-6 is a perennial truth that we must believe in and hold close to, no matter how long it takes before we experience the breakthrough that reverses a dismal trajectory. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
There are three imperatives embedded in these verses for your spiritual walk.
First, you must trust the Lord who holds your future. Know that with God on your side, a setback is not a full-stop or a dead end.
Secondly, you must submit fully to the Lord’s ways. Anytime you start to pursue alternative solutions while waiting on God shows that you still think you know better. Pride upholds self-reliance over-reliance on God. And the values that drive your career success are not necessarily those that develop character maturity and faith in God.
Is it easy? No! Even the people close to you may disagree that where God is leading you makes sense. In addition, the enemy of your soul will plant lies in your mind that sound convincing and reasonable but they will also give you no rest from worry. As such, it is important to let in spiritually mature believers to support you in prayer and practical ways. This is because God’s superior ways will ultimately become evident.
Finally, you must stay on course to be connected to God’s Positioning System (GPS) no matter how long and lonely the road has been. This is because the Word says, ‘He will make your paths straight. We all know that it is futile to argue with Karen Jacobsen - the in-vehicle GPS voice. But if we don’t follow her voice, we’re likely to go off-course while the GPS frantically recalculates our path back to our intended destination. Likewise, we can keep arguing with God while steering off His plan to help us, or we can save valuable time and energy by trusting that His GPS is far more superior than the smartest man and the most advanced technology.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 24 July 2022.
