“For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” I Corinthians 1: 25
Sometimes when we are on our spiritual pilgrimage, we are asked to take steps that may seem odd or foolish to those around us. A good example for me was after I earned my undergraduate degree. I had been working full time at a Youngstown, Ohio steel mill and going to college part time. After eight---long years I finally had enough hours to get my college degree. I started looking for a white color job within the mill that I worked for, but I couldn’t find any there. I was told by one friend who was in management there, that because of my interracial marriage, they wouldn’t hire me for one of these better jobs.
Then I looked outside of mill work. I remember my father-in-law, Vito, really questioning if that was a good idea. You see, he had worked on the docks in Ashtabula, Ohio and he knew what seniority meant in a company. I had nearly nine years in the mill and he thought I should stay there, because of how important that was. In his mind working a blue-collar job with seniority was better then starting somewhere else all over again.
He wasn’t the only one, many of my mill co-workers thought I would just stay where I was, because the pay and benefits were really good. Well, again God had other plans and I was offered a job in the insurance industry (for less money) out of state, and thank goodness, my late Judy, was willing to move, which we did. In the long run, that worked out for me, however, in the short turn that may have seemed very foolish.
I entered a new career, one that I could have never had if I stayed in Youngstown in the mill. Also, no one knew it at the time, but a few years later the mill that I worked in, closed its doors. If I would have stayed, I would have been out of job, when that happened. The picture is after my graduation from Youngstown State University, when I was much younger, and oh---so relieved that I was finally finished with that part of my life journey. (Note the cake in the picture that Judy made for us.)
One never knows what God may have in store for us. It may seem foolish to the world, but can make sense to us in due time. Blessings on your spiritual journey, and may you be open to listening to where God may be leading you! Peace. Vernon T.
Copyright © 2021 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
Sometimes when we are on our spiritual pilgrimage, we are asked to take steps that may seem odd or foolish to those around us. A good example for me was after I earned my undergraduate degree. I had been working full time at a Youngstown, Ohio steel mill and going to college part time. After eight---long years I finally had enough hours to get my college degree. I started looking for a white color job within the mill that I worked for, but I couldn’t find any there. I was told by one friend who was in management there, that because of my interracial marriage, they wouldn’t hire me for one of these better jobs.
Then I looked outside of mill work. I remember my father-in-law, Vito, really questioning if that was a good idea. You see, he had worked on the docks in Ashtabula, Ohio and he knew what seniority meant in a company. I had nearly nine years in the mill and he thought I should stay there, because of how important that was. In his mind working a blue-collar job with seniority was better then starting somewhere else all over again.
He wasn’t the only one, many of my mill co-workers thought I would just stay where I was, because the pay and benefits were really good. Well, again God had other plans and I was offered a job in the insurance industry (for less money) out of state, and thank goodness, my late Judy, was willing to move, which we did. In the long run, that worked out for me, however, in the short turn that may have seemed very foolish.
I entered a new career, one that I could have never had if I stayed in Youngstown in the mill. Also, no one knew it at the time, but a few years later the mill that I worked in, closed its doors. If I would have stayed, I would have been out of job, when that happened. The picture is after my graduation from Youngstown State University, when I was much younger, and oh---so relieved that I was finally finished with that part of my life journey. (Note the cake in the picture that Judy made for us.)
One never knows what God may have in store for us. It may seem foolish to the world, but can make sense to us in due time. Blessings on your spiritual journey, and may you be open to listening to where God may be leading you! Peace. Vernon T.
Copyright © 2021 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
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