But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them: "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?"
Nehemiah 6:2-3
God had told Nehemiah to rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, and put all the pieces in place to make that happen. However, as the wall was being built, two troublemakers didn't like what was going on and decided to put a stop to it. So they sent Nehemiah a message asking him to come meet with them to discuss the wall. Nehemiah refused them because he knew they really wanted to kill him so they could attack Jerusalem. These two troublemakers were persistent and sent four more messages to Nehemiah, and he gave them the same response every time.
Now that you have the context, let's discuss the point. Just like Nehemiah, God has given each of us a great work to do. While we may not think it is a great work, it really is because God has given it to us. It might be the work as a clerk, perhaps a custodian, maybe it's a cop, or maybe trash collector or a dump truck driver; every work God has given us is HIS assignment for us. When everything is in place for the next phase of God's work for us, He will move us.
I couldn't understand why I had gotten passed over for promotion to manager. True, I had some things I needed to improve on as the Administrator, and, yes, I had made it clear that I felt underutilized, but I still couldn't understand why I had been passed over. So I made an appointment with the Division Director to discuss the issue. My Director listened to me lay out my case. When I had finished what I believed to be a brilliant position, my Director looked me square in the eye and said, "You didn't get the promotion because you weren't ready. Instead of whining, yes I said whining, about how you are underutilized, work on doing your current job to the best of your ability and with the best attitude!"
Well, that was a bit of a gut punch. I fumed about that meeting for the rest of the day, and when I went to Bible Study that night I was still fuming. After our study, one of the members pulled me aside and asked why I was giving into the temptation to push God's plan for me into MY timetable. I was stunned, to say the least. I hadn't thought about that. He went on to remind me that our enemy, much like the troublemakers that tried to lure Nehemiah away from the work God had given him, by giving into the tempting desire of being promoted I had been pulled away from doing the work God had given me. Guess what? The very next day, my attitude changed and I focused on doing my best where God had put me.
Let me tell you something, you may not be in the position you think you want; you may not be doing what you believe you have been called to do, but the fact remains you are where God has put you in preparation for the next phase of His plan for you. Therefore, do your best wherever you find yourself, and do it with your best attitude. It's God's job to get you where He's planned for you to be, so relax and do your best.
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