Stay the Course

One of my favorite times of the year occurs during this third week of March. If you’re a hoops fan, you know what’s up.

Of course, I’m talking about March Madness and the bracketology insanity sweeping the nation. Nothing like a barrage of action-packed, down-to-the-wire basketball games highlighting a stretch that sees winter doldrums fade into early spring crazes.

Yet, amidst the signs of seasonal transition, I’m taken back by a certain notion, one often unpopular despite its ~99.9% success rate. That take in three words? Stay…the…course¹.

Perhaps I’m inspired by honest charges rooted in athletic and battle-cry themes. Perhaps I’m getting older and have lived long enough to see the directive verify. Regardless, I wouldn’t be writing this if my motivation lacked potential impact, relevancy, and most importantly, Scriptural ties.

As always, let’s dive in…

In the Word, one can find many examples of what staying the course looks like, both directly and indirectly. For today’s purposes, we’ll concentrate primarily on New Testament themes. Starting with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), we find a series of entrust statements from Jesus at the Mount of Beatitudes (I.e. “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted”, etc). Taking the mean of these eight veracities, we find powerful tropes with eternal implications. While many derivatives can be gleaned, one in particular stands out: You are blessed when you stay the course, walking with God steadily on the road revealed by God while making every effort to seek Him in gratitude.

As Paul testifies in Acts 20:24 and 2 Timothy 4:7, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” All spoken with utmost intention as bedrocks for hope, righteousness, and in some cases, the fulfillment of ministry. The problem for some of us lies in how we conditionally apply and abide within any discipline requiring vertical dependence.

Starting out on any journey, our aim is to anchor what we believe into what we practice.
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In every way, in all we say, we aspire to honor God in the culture and community He’s placed us in.

How then do we cope when not everyone is on the same page as to what following God looks like? What if the mission is pure but the roadmap leading there is potentially riddled with fear, compromise, even complacency? What if our loyalty and commitment aren’t acknowledged or matched by those around us? How can we stay the course when the environment around us is harsh, in decay, or forgets we’re playing a part in making the dream fly?

For starters, we must remember any form of faithfulness we exude is a gift from God and a ‘yes’ to following in Christ’s likeness. While we honor our authorities, leaders, and governing principalities, we achieve this through the overflow of surrender unto God for all He has done and continues to accomplish. This is why daily dying to our preferences John 3:30 and 1 Corinthians 2:14-style is crucial to not giving into our anxieties and fleshly desires. Often, we take inventory by way of our shoulder. We pull back, hesitate, and withdraw due to what’s not working, what’s being missed or even the fear of these things happenings; however, as valid as our occupational concerns may be, we must not automatically synonymize them to the satisfaction of our own needs. After all, when we consider Paul’s example, we note true strength is not only relying on God but realizing His desire to mature us through adversity. Accordingly, we shouldn’t assume God is lifting His hand or readying an audible when the presence of pressure or partisan hits. Rather, in those moments, we should see the immediate prompt to recommit our ways and recast our cares, repetition be darned.

Granted, I understand this is easier said than done, especially when transition seems constant; however, as one who has seen his fair share, I implore you: Do not embrace offense when you see people making choices you wouldn’t make or when any form of health is inadvertently withdrawn. As much as we crave peace of mind, we shouldn’t let a temporary lack prevent us from championing the peace of Christ as far as it be with us (Romans 12:18). And hear me, friends, I get the disorientation that comes when traction and stability are moving targets. I understand how hard it can be when you’re waiting years for due diligence and the dust to settle. But at the end of the day…

We can’t move on as God intended without putting ourselves in position for God to reveal His next best steps for us.
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For when we’re actively communing with God and relinquishing the entitlement to make sense of our surroundings, only then will we recognize the epitome of resilience, which in vocational terms, is enduring with integrity and humility even when what is right and necessary are concealed.

As Vince Lombardi, Thomas Edison, and many a Chinese and Biblical Proverb have stated, in this life, many will quit prematurely, forge pathways to greener pastures, and manufacture their own resets. Many will find what they’re looking for but in the wrong way. But as for us, regardless of how we’re feeling, our foundation must be God and our call to follow Him. Consider the Psalmist in Psalm 119:1-8 (ESV/MSG):

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who stay the course, who seek God with their whole heart…and walk in His ways! You have commanded your pathways to be kept diligently. Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping [them]! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn of your [next step]…”

Stay tuned next time when I’ll discuss the right ways we can seek transition from a current employer as a ‘part 2’ to this post using Exodus 33 as a guide. Until then, be blessed, stay classy, and don’t give up.

Selah.

Graphic creds: iStock

Footnotes

Or “stand by your ground“

It’s a cold day [at TPAC] as I take this final skyline glance.

Vacancies once held now seven years of vibrancies starring back at me. Crazy how a city can reflect what you already know – the fact life is a highway built on and by dust…the cold yet beautiful reality that life is a vapor because it was spoken into by such.

Still, the question remains…

How can one possibly capture a septennial’s worth of growth? Or put into words a spiritual journey equivalent to a Sahara crossing with one camel and a military canteen?

Whatever the answer, I won’t shy from letting words fly given this post is ultimately a testimony to God’s sovereignty. As such, I encourage you: Don’t read this as a summary of one man’s odyssey, but a synthesis of God’s faithfulness to transform.

Prologue aside, let’s dive in…

When I started with TDOT Finance in April 2012, life was a bull market. From Lyssah to LEGACYouth to graduate school, everything seemed fresh and exciting. For the first time in years, I was enjoying all aspects of life – a stark contrast to the brutal four years preceding.

Yet, by fall 2013, many of these facets began to settle. While most things ministry and marriage-wise were flourishing, the same couldn’t be said about work. After a “promotion” from Budget to Payables, I struggled not only adjusting to the position but having to be in it at all. Unlike the two generations of Fry’s before me, I couldn’t support my family through pastoral ministry alone. Consequently, I often clocked in already feeling like a failure…like I didn’t belong.

And so, I vilified the culture, my 7-3:30 reality a necessary evil disguised as a reincarnated Matrix.

On the surface, I was pressing on, but deep down, I was defeated, a prisoner of my own narrative. To be free was to be out, but I had no escape plan. Just a spray of mental splinters reminding me I had nothing to offer.

For years, I believed the lie my value couldn’t be realized at TDOT. While I was able to return to Budget by summer 2014, by then, the early stages of depression had settled in. Driven by lingering guilt from past seasons, it was clear the fight to tame my despair was not being helped at work. If anything, the lack of voice and professional development only compounded the problem. Perhaps had I not compartmentalized my ‘loved by God’ identity, these voids wouldn’t have hindered the way they did.

Either way, by January 2015, my disdain for the work culture had finally trickled into disdain for certain people. No longer could I emotionally separate the two. Like a house divided, my joy was one-sided with each day an elevator countdown and a prayer against hopelessness. Long gone were the days I could thrive; I just wanted to survive.

And yet, life was fantastic behind the scenes. For starters, all things family and LEGACYouth continued to bloom – the best years coinciding with the worse years at TDOT. I was coming off a solid two year run at MTSU where I received my Master’s in Education: Instruction and Curriculum. And to cap it off, after hitting three years in youth ministry, I was had started working towards my licensure with Messenger Fellowship.

However, the major plot turn came during spring 2015 when I started to sense God’s call to create a written resource for vocationals¹. At first, I questioned if this word was from God given the timing made no sense. Not only did I feel disqualified, but emotionally unprepared to tackle such a task. Who was I to say ‘yes’ in light of where my heart was at?

But looking back, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised considering…

Even in our darkest hours, God is faithful to stir in ‘content’ despite our discontent.
It’s often in the places we’re snake-bitten where God wants to deliver healing and entrust authority.

At any rate, after months of underground writing, His Girl Fryday published during summer 2015 to a humble following of 25 followers with biweekly posts and a podcast launch a few years after. But for TDOT, the key takeaway was the big picture – the fact God would use a special project to erode my heart of stone and transform it back into a heart of flesh. After all, it’s hard to stay mad at the marketplace when marketplace people represent your target audience. I guess that’s why they say, ‘God is without a sense of humor’.

Flash-forward to January 2019 and my heart is three years softer towards all things TDOT. Granted, there were some tough days; however, the inner maturation was now at a point I could daily choose joy, declare gratitude, and receive rest. Having learned a new rhythm of releasing, rarely did I carry anxiety into a new day. By God’s strength and power, I was being renewed regularly and refreshed in the mundane.

By early February, a new assignment had emerged, this time a Bible study open to all TDOT employees. As the Lord assured me, the inner man was ready to lead a charge that hadn’t been attempted in over two decades. A drive I would have laughed at four years prior, now a Spirit-led operation to plant a community of God’s presence. Using a mix of His Girl Fryday and Messenger Fellowship/Commission U content, I began to translate church-speak discipleship into digestible vocational dialogue. Though attendance rarely hit double-digits, the study would ignite a few more throughout the James K. Polk building. At last, the final chapter of my seven-year TDOT journey was complete.

By now, I bet you’re wondering…

And to that, I’d reply: The point is the story itself and the source it comes from. The way I see it, God permitted my TDOT landing so I could learn how to abide in a place I didn’t fit and love within a culture I didn’t understand. Along the way, I discovered how much more Jesus I needed…how I couldn’t possibly love and lead without His daily presence manifesting as sustaining power. I also tasted the bitter dregs of indifference, resentment, and what it’s like to project insecurity onto those mirroring your own struggle. If only I received correction without assuming gracelessness, no question, much grief during my time at TDOT could have been spared.

Still, when I look back on my TDOT tenure, what I’ll ultimately remember are the seven wonderful years I had to grow in my professionalism. Could have I been sent to more trainings, webinars, and conferences? Yes. Was it difficult being a travel specialist getting to send people all over the country without being able to join them? Absolutely.

Yet, at day’s end, all this is moot.

For many are the miles, but few are the meters to loving your neighbor. Much is the work, but much more are the people who work it.

Therefore, whether we’re CPA’s or ASA’s², remember what matters is faith, hope, and love channeled through attitude, integrity, and legacy. The road may not always be easy, but as long as we stay the course, the freedom and ripening we crave will come.

As for now, I relish this moment to say, ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ not only to my TDOT family, but every breakthrough, confrontation, and endeavor that has occurred the past seven years. What started as a single man looking for occupational and financial stability has ended with a family of five finding spiritual and vocational stability in the places that matter most.

One line ends, another begins. No question, I’m on a higher precipice thanks to what I learned here.

‘Til next time, here’s to the next and the undeniable truth that the best is yet to come…

Selah.