The Purpose Filter

Joseph told his brothers who had badly mistreated him, not to worry. What you meant for evil, he told them, God intended for good. 

A couple months ago, I was fired. There were false allegations by someone with whom the company’s owner was personal friends. I was the leader of the facility and the accuser was the top director on my team. She didn’t like my being in charge of her for some reason, and always pushed back when I offered guidance to her. Come to find out, she was talking with the owner, telling him that I was forcing my religion on my team. After addressing this with my boss, she (my boss) indicated she understood that the team member was lying about me. She even told me I was the best facility leader in the company.

Yet, a couple weeks later, she showed up one day and said I was fired; she cited a divided team of directors in my facility as the reason, which wasn’t the case at all, apart from the one aforementioned falsely accusing director.  

This was the first time I’d ever been fired and I was humiliated. Since then, I haven’t had success getting a job. It could be because I’ve been forthcoming in my interviews about having been fired; I’ve operated by honesty being the best policy and I think it’s better they hear it from me than from someone else. 

I’ve spent many hours seeking God and calling upon Him for help in my employment situation. A few days ago, I felt He was directing me to the Scripture account of King David being forced out of Jerusalem by the uprisen coup and government takeover by his son Absalom.

As David and his loyalists made their way out of the city,  Shemei threw stones at David and his processional, shouting curses at him, all of which were false accusations. Finally, one of David’s men requested permission to go over and remove Shimei’s head. But David denied his request, saying, “Let him curse, because the Lord has said to him, ‘curse David.’ Who then shall make him stop?” (2 Samuel 16)

I asked the Lord how this pertained to me, and the answer I perceived was that God was in my firing and the ensuing struggle to find income. Of course, I pleaded that it wasn’t fair and I didn’t deserve it. But the Lord simply wants me to trust Him. Since when have Jesus followers been exempt from unfair treatment? Blessed are you when people persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely (Matthew 5:11). 

What I do know is that God is working this situation for my good (Romans 8:28). I don’t understand everything about it, but He often calls us to trust before we understand (Proverbs 3:5). 

God’s ways are such a mystery sometimes, and we can often have a lot of questions. Did God cause this? Or did He just allow it? What’s the purpose of it? What’s my role in it?

I’ve learned that most of those questions are unnecessary; they don’t get at the real issue. What we really need to understand is that, whatever happens, God will use it for our good, because we’re His and His love and purpose will always prevail. Everything that happens in our lives God will run through His Purpose Filter, assuring that it aligns with His plan and will. 

Finally, though, I do request your prayers, that you would stand with me, asking God to provide His choice job for me at this chapter of my life. Please and thank you, my brothers and sisters.