GUEST POST Written By Mark Sarookanian

Our lives have become topsy-turvy over the past few years. After being laid off from a steady, Monday to Friday, good paying job, it left me out in the cold looking for work to provide for my (at the time) pregnant wife, and 3 year old little girl.

An opportunity came up to work at a Hospital, and I soon took a liking to working there. The thing I didn’t take a liking to, you ask? The financial instability that came with it.

Working there comes with some VERY unstable and infrequent working schedules. Times where the pay cheques were so low, it became a regular occurrence of dipping into the ol’ trusty Line of Credit, and deciding which bill this month didn’t get paid. This, of course creates an absolute mountain of debt.

I hustled, and grinded, and did everything within my power to take work where I could. I never said no to a shift, pulled doubles, doubled back, no matter how heavy, or ugly, or disorganized the ward was I would be there, and I was there with a good attitude. But no matter how much I worked, it was never enough.

We were in a perpetual motion of treading water, just paying the bills. Saving up seemed like an allusive dream. Paying off debt? Yeah, right. Treating myself to a new toy? Ha! You’re funny. The whole wacky notion of actually going on vacation? I had a better chance of finding out the secret of how they put the Caramilk in the Caramilk bar. Ain’t gonna happen.

As such, my attitude became negative, bitter – and I was quite frankly, grumpy. I would be frustrated over our situation – and whine about it…A LOT. to my wife, my friends, anyone with a lending ear would hear my tail of sadness and woe.

I realized that when my attitude stunk about it, there was no work.

It was time to change gears. Look at a plan B, because plan A got me nowhere fast. When I really tried to have a good attitude, and trust God, work came. Eureka! My attitude had a direct correlation to the blessing God was pouring out to me!

I couldn’t explain it, I just saw the bottom line. Pressing into God brought work for me. It brought gift cards and free stuff.

I learned to press into God – thanking Him as opposed to complaining to Him….Then I came across a fantastic Bible verse that hit me like a ton of bricks. It was that “aha!” moment. The lights came on.

Psalms 34:10
For the young lions and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall lack no good thing.

I’ve realized that God isn’t up in Heaven looking down at me with joy over the hard times we’re going through. He is shaping my character. Preparing me. Changing my heart to make me a better Christian, Husband, Father and Friend.

God loves me. More than I’ll ever understand. And since He loves me I know He has a plan. I just need to trust him and know that He is in control.

Mark Sarookanian
Twitter @markthesark

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