Father REALLY DOES Know Best
Monday, November 18, 2024
“Remember this: If any other condition had been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.” – C.H. Spurgeon
In 2008, I ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 1st congressional district. Not having run for anything since student council in 10th grade, I didn’t know what to expect, but I won the primary! Of course, the general election was a completely different story, but I did manage to win more votes than any Republican candidate in 35 years.
My better-than-expected performance led the local GOP leaders to ask me to run again in 2010 and so I did, winning a 4-way primary in June before earning yet another “silver medal” in November. Two swings and two misses.
Sure, it was an uphill battle in one of the safest Democratic districts in the country where a Republican hasn’t won since 1972. However, I think there was something else in play in both of those elections. First, God granted me the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream, and He also allowed me to share my faith throughout both campaigns. But in His sovereignty and omniscience, He knew that going to Washington D.C. as a member of Congress might not have been in my best interests spiritually.
Maybe I would have become prideful and maybe I would have become so consumed by my new responsibilities that my marriage would have suffered. Or maybe I would have fallen victim to some of the other Beltway temptations.
In either case, I am content in that realization that “Father REALLY DOES Know Best”… and His plan for my life is far better than what I would have experienced as a congressman.
My prayer for you is that you will experience peace and contentment in your vocation as well as your station in life. That doesn’t mean you and I can’t aspire for something else if it’s God’s will, but simply that we should be content every step along the way.
“I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.” Philippians 4:11 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
