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Fulfillment

Al Weidman polishes Porsche wheels. It’s his bag. And (best of all) he loves it. How’d he get into it? Well, he got fed up with the rat race.

For fifteen years he worked for an internationally known corporation. He was a number, not a person, to the firm. Became the purchasing agent with a swell salary…but that was it. He drove fifty-five miles to work every day to a building with no windows and a job with no fulfillment. Monotony turned into misery…discouragement led to dread as AI saw less and less of his family and more and more of the freeway:

Lord, something has to happen! Do something, anything. Change our lives. This is no way to live. Lord, take over.

He did. Al got laid off.

Sounds weird, but it was one of the happiest days of his life. The squirrel cage finally ground to a halt. The fifteen-year addiction was, at last, broken by God Himself. Great! Only one problem—what now? Well, faith suddenly moved from back-burner theory to front-burner reality. Talk about cold turkey! For the first time in their marriage, Al and Susan found themselves in the exciting spot of literally having to “trust in the Lord with all their hearts” rather than just memorize it in a Bible study group. The result? Fantastic! Through an amazing chain of events that nobody but the Lord could weave together, the man who once did purchasing for a corporation (hating every minute of it) now does polishing for dealerships all over Southern California… and points beyond.

He's having the time of his life. Never before had he experienced such depths of delight. Is he making a living? More than he dreamed possible—but keep in mind, that’s no longer his motivation. When the Lord took Al and Susan through the experiential operating room, it was for radical surgery. Life did a flip flop. They determined their priorities would no longer be sacrificed on the altar of temporal values. When God got through with that couple, His blessings came up in spades. The differences now? Well, for openers, he no longer feels trapped, crushed beneath the load of so-called essentials. He’s free. Freed from a slavery that at times seemed brutal and demanding as a nineteenth-century plantation owner. But there’s one thing better than that. He’s fulfilled. Satisfied. He’s found his niche. The dread is gone. Each new dawn brings a fresh delivery of anticipation.

Fulfillment has to be one of life’s choicest gifts. A major building block toward authentic happiness. Solomon must have had it in mind when he wrote in Proverbs 13:19: “Desire realized is sweet to the soul…”

Who can measure up to the pleasure of that scene? The longing of the heart—unrevealed and deep—leads to dreams. These dreams float as time passes, refusing to be sunk by the anchors of hinderance and hardship. They grow into possibilities kept alive by hope and determination. Vague possibilities lead to concrete opportunities that stir up the soul with gratifying, satisfying stimulation… which ultimately becomes actual accomplishment, the ace trump of fulfillment. And that is sweet, writers David’s wisest son.

I agree with Longfellow:

Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.

Have you become a victim of routine? Beginning to think demoralizing thoughts like, “Aw, what’s the use?” and, “It isn’t worth the effort”? Starting to sigh rather than smile… focusing on the hurdles rather than the tape at the end of the race? If so, you have a lot of company. Surrendering to despair is man’s favorite pastime. God offers a better plan, but it takes effort to grab it and faith to claim it. Like Oscar Hammerstein put it:

Climb every mountain, search high and low, Follow every by-way, every path you know. Climb every mountain, ford every stream, Follow every rainbow, ‘til you find your dream.

Please—take it from one who, years ago, almost stopped climbing and searching and following—say at it! Climbing and dreaming sure beat a stale life without windows… and a cage with release.

Deepening Your Roots:

Joshua 14:6-12; Nehemiah 1:1-11; Nehemiah 2:1-5

Branching Out

1. What are you climbing toward? ______________________________________________________

Is it really what you want? __________________________________________________________________

If not, why not do what Al and Susan did: pray.

2. Read the book: With No Fear of Failure if you need more encouragement or help in determining your “dream.”
3. Write down three dreams you want to see happen to you in your lifetime:

1.

2.

3.

Start praying about these dreams and don’t stop trusting God until all the “dreams” come true.