The Christian Woman


 

When He Took Over

By Julie Cosgrove


A few years ago we moved to a new town. There was only one church in the area that was our denomination. Land-locked and unable to accommodate the growth in membership, the congregation decided to birth a mission in the neighboring small town where we had found a place to rent. We arrived just as the new mission was starting up.

The pastor told me I should be in charge of the Outreach Program. Astounded, I asked how since we were so new to the area. He shrugged and said, “All I know is God wants you to do that and I trust Him.”

I mulled it over the rest of the day. That night, before I closed my eyes, I told the Lord, “You are going to have to do this because there is no way I can.” It was a prayer of frustration and God turned it into a miracle…and a lesson.

Anxious because I had not been able to find a job in my field of medical billing, I filled out an application with a job placement agency. The owner called me within an hour of receiving it. The next day, I was hired as the accounting clerk for a graphic design shop.

Shortly after that, I received a directive. In order for the mission to grow, we had to take James 1:27 literally. We needed to care for the orphans and the widows. Two ladies who attended the mission told me they had been given the same directive. I knew then it was from God. Two days later a directress of an orphanage walked into the shop stating their church sponsor could no longer support them. My boss agreed to design and print her brochures at cost. I volunteered our mission to fold and mail them out, saving her that expense. The mission organized fundraisers and gave the kids an ice cream party. A group of widows attended one of the fundraisers and some of the members volunteered to do odd jobs for them.

I am convinced God blocked me from finding a job, so I would be hired in one outside my field, in order that I could meet the lady from the orphanage, whose fundraisers would lead us to meeting a group of widows in need. I have never felt so used, so humbled and so precious in His sight. He put me in an out-of–my-control situation so I would put Him in charge. It was an act perfectly orchestrated by the Master and a lesson well learned.

Heavenly Father, open our hearts to be used by You in ways we could never guess possible so we can reflect Your kingdom in our lives and reach out to those You put in our path. Amen.

A freelance writer by trade, Julie Cosgrove has written and published many articles with secular and Christian themes as well as ghostwriting e-Books, web content and devotionals. Dedicating her life to Christ at the age of thirteen, she became a Religious Studies major who was awarded the American Bible Society’s Religion Major of the Year her senior year in college. Julie has led retreats, workshops, Bible studies and quiet days for prayer and reflection. She is a member of the Christian Writers Fellowship International, Freelance Writers Network, Oklahoma Writers Federation Inc and lives with her husband and one cat in a town outside of Fort Worth Texas.