The Overcoming by D.F. Wood What Are You Afraid Of? contest entry |
1611 Words (MS Word)At the age of 60, John finally admits to himself that he is not going to become rich and famous. I am a happily married man, have a wonderful son, a good paying job, and a roof over my head. There are a lot of people out there that would love to have my life. From that day forward, John felt so much happier. He felt he had one less burden on his shoulders. His attitude improved, he smiled more, and he was content. There’s an old saying, “All good things must come to an end,” and John was about to find that out. * * * On John’s 62nd birthday, feeling excited, he boasts, “Hey, I’m old enough to retire! Yahoo!” “Yeah right, you can’t afford to retire,” replied Jane, his wife. “You need to keep working until you're 70.” “No way!" John hollered back. "I want to be able to enjoy retirement. By the time I’m 70, I won’t be able to do half the things I can do now. There’s no way I’m working ‘til I’m 70.” John walked away and sat down at his PC.You know she’s right. I can’t afford to retire. My 401k will never be enough to keep us going. John is optimistic and always has been. He knew he didn’t have to fret over retirement yet, there was plenty of time to figure it out. Today was his birthday and he was going to enjoy it. Being a God-fearing man helped with John’s patience and strengthened his optimism. John prayed all the time. He included God in almost everything he did. John added his dilemma of retirement to the list of challenges he’d already given to the Lord. Ho often reminded himself, God helps those who help themselves. John and his family have received many blessings over the years. His faith in the Lord is never in doubt. John maintained his confidence until one day, at work, things changed. His boss informed him that he needed to fill the vacancy in their department. He would have to pick up some of the project work that was falling behind. He knew this meant he would have his normal work plus the new stuff. This angered John. He had not handled projects for new product development in several years. So much of the work is done overseas now, and communication with the Chinese is so difficult. John had no choice. He struggled sometimes with his work, but determination and faith enabled him to get the job done. No longer happy, the thought of retirement haunted him all the time. He was becoming obsessed with it. How was he going to support his family once he retired? * * * Now, 64 years old, he was receiving mail to sign up for Medicare before turning 65. There was no escape. He had to figure something out soon. A letter from social security gave him a good estimate of how much he would receive once retired. The letter stated he needed to work until the age of 66 to receive full benefits. If he worked until he turned 70, he could net about an extra $800 a month. Well, so much for retiring at 65. He examined his 401k plan, which was very detailed. As John had figured, with his 401k and social security combined, his income would be about half of what it is now. The woe-is-me syndrome got to John. He continued to pray every evening. He was more solemn. He knew he was at God's mercy. He asked God to keep His light shining before him, to point the way. He always thanked God for the day's blessings. He closed every prayer the same way he did when he prayed with his son as a little boy. Watch over me through the night, and wake me with the morning light. Amen. John's plan for retirement had always included extra income from his woodworking skills. He had a great collection of tools in the garage and loved building things. But he knew now that this plan would not work. It required too much investment in advance, and it was physical work. He was not as limber as he used to be. His mind never rested anymore, he had to come up with a better plan. One night, after another long prayer session with God, he dreamed about writing. John had written several short stories about canoe trips he’d taken, and a few camping trips. Even though he wrote them back when his son was still in grade school, he still had them stored in the computer. John had toyed with the idea of writing a book for a long time. In his dream, he was a successful writer. His family and friends were proud of him. He and his wife traveled around the USA, pulling their RV with them wherever they went. When not working on his next book, John maintained a blog of their travels on the Internet. Life was good. The alarm woke John from his dream, bringing him back to reality. The drive to work took 40 minutes, plenty of time for John to meditate. His thoughts were all over the place and then his mind shifts, "I can't get no, satisfaction. I can't get no, satisfaction, 'cause I try, and I try, and I try, I can't get no. I can't get no." It was the Rolling Stones. How appropriate. At work, during lunch, John searches the Internet about writing to make an income. The amount of information available is overwhelming. He feels the majority of what he reads are scams. Discouraged, he goes back to work. For the next few days, he spends every free moment looking for a sign.If I could only find a clue that I am doing the right thing. Is this God's will, or is this my will? It is frustrating to John that so many prospects of interest cost money to learn more about them. Then, he stumbles across a website that consists of only writers. It sounded like a writer’s club of some sort, where writers reviewed each other’s writing. It required a fee to join. This site was different than the other sites he’d read about. John mulled the idea over and over. One of the websites said, if you want to be a writer, then start writing. John signed up for a year’s subscription to FanStory.com. He read all about the rules and how the website worked. He read a few short stories he found on the home page. He liked the idea that there were contests he could enter. John quickly pulled up one of his old stories about a canoe trip. He read through it and corrected the grammar the best he could. Man, it has been quite a while since I’ve written anything, I hope I can remember the rules of proper English. In no time John was receiving positive feedback about his writing. Some of the reviews critiqued his writing. Errors with comma placement or punctuation errors with quotations were common. But the reviewers were nice about it. They were not being rude. This is great, I can do this. John’s enthusiasm grew fast, and he began to write more. Searches continued for how to write and earn money, but he also searched for tips to improve his writing. When it came to that evening’s prayers, John thanked the Lord for the day's blessings. He and the Lord talked awhile, sort of in a negotiating way. The Lord told John that he had already received the gift of writing years ago. Now, that he sees he has the gift, he could use this gift to help spread the good news about Jesus.Boy, the Lord is a tough guy to negotiate with. He always seems to get the upper hand. John's first thirty days as a member of the writer’s club goes very well. He receives several recognitions for his stories. He makes a few new friends too, who give him extra tips on improving his writing. One gentleman even gave him some ideas on where to look for opportunities to write. John remembered his talks with God. He knew he had to contribute to mankind before he would receive anything. The idea of some volunteer work may be just the thing. John also remembered something he read during a search. The article said it could take eighteen months or more to get established. He needed to build an audience, and find his niche. So, doing some volunteer work could please God, build an audience, and add to a portfolio. Maybe, this is the sign I was looking for. The Lord was always reminding him, Patience my child. In another five months, John will turn 65 years of age. He’ll have another year to go before his planned retirement. He doesn’t have all the answers yet, but he knows the Lord is on his side. Have faith, my child. Have I not always provided for you? Have I not always been there for you, even when you were not looking for me? Out of the blue, while driving to work, a song starts playing in John’s mind. He thinks it’s Frank Sinatra’s voice, “because he has high hopes, he’s got high hopes.” A smile comes across John’s face. Man, the Lord sure does work in mysterious ways. John is not out of the woods yet but he has a plan now. He understands it will take some time, some work, and some investment. His biggest asset though is his faith in God. With God, all things are possible.
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D.F. Wood
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