A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. Proverbs 18:16

When I was a younger man I thought I had to make my presence known if I were ever going to get ahead.

When I started college, I searched high and low for the perfect job that would allow me adequate time for study and provide me plenty of capital to cover my expenses. While working in the cafeteria, the job that was available, I heard of an outfit that was paying double for a fraction of the time…just 20 hours a week!

The problem was there was only a handful of slots and everybody and their brother was vying for the spots. I tried every angle and bent a few rules, even, in hopes of getting one of those jobs. Not a chance.

But just a year and a half later, while speaking on behalf of a group of students to a civic club, one of the managers of the “dream job” ask me what I thought about working for him. Totally taken aback, I told him of my misfortune in the past. “Let me see what I can do!” was all I heard before I got the call to report for duty.

Situations just like that have happened to me throughout the years and have conditioned me to “let the game come to me.” God has given to us all a certain set of skills and unmerited favors for the journey. Our job is faithfulness, not hustle and stress and strain.  As we seek opportunities to be the best us we can, God unfolds His perfected plan.

It’s not an easy thing to enact when you are so used to pushing and prodding for every stretch of ground you gain. But why climb through the window, when there is a welcome sign on the front door?