Commencement
Page 57
Allen was furiously writing down notes on a legal pad, pausing at times to sift through some documents in front of him. He also had his laptop out checking various websites as well. Finally, he had figured out why God had led him to work as a porter at the Sheraton. Although Allen couldn’t explain it, he knew that he was supposed to meet Davis at this point in his life and he also knew there had to be a reason for it. Ever since he had spoken to Davis that day when they were fixing the toilet, the idea of helping Davis and his mom out of their financial conundrum had just stuck in his head. Allen thought about what Tim said the other night, but why would that idea resonate so strongly if God didn’t want him to be the one to help? And why not? Hadn’t he helped other businesses and clients with their finances in the past? Maybe this was what God was calling his attention to. Working with people like Davis and his mom, helping the poor and less able manage their financial resources rather than the rich and wealthy. Allen couldn’t even count all the times in the Bible where God spoke about how the poor are the apple of his eye and how God favors those who help the poor. Now everything was making sense. Maybe Davis was his test case. If Allen could help Davis’s family out of their financial mess, then it may lead to something bigger. If Allen succeeded, not only would he be able to help his good friend, but maybe God would lead Allen to start his own non-profit organization dedicated to helping struggling families manage their finances and lift themselves out of poverty. How grand and noble it all sounded when Allen thought of it. “This must be the plan that God has for me”, mused Allen. Yet, there was a small problem. Allen had no idea where to begin or what his plan of action was.
Earlier he had spent most of his day at the library, researching various consumer loans and what options were available to those who were unable to manage them. He found the subject of subprime loans of particular interest. Allen learned that the irony about subprime loans were that they were loans to people who most likely would not be able to pay. The banking executives knew this. Candidates for subprime loans, mortgages, and refinances were mainly those people who had poor credit and payment histories. The only options that were available to them were pretty much what Tim had spoken of earlier. They could work with the bank on restructuring the loan and working out better terms (i.e. smaller payments over a longer period of time), try to get a deferment on payments due to hardship, or they could try to sell the house and use the money to pay off a large part of the balance. Still, there was no real evidence that Davis’s mom had been the recipient of a subprime loan or refinance. Her credit could have been stellar, but taking on another mortgage at this point in her life could have just been too overwhelming.
There was so much that Allen didn’t know and he knew Davis would probably not tell him. Allen knew he could probably help him work out something with a restructuring, but he would need information that was specific to Davis’ particular circumstances. Like what kind of lending institution did they broker the refinance with? How much money was involved? Had they been making payments or were they past due? Had they even spoken with their lender about their options? Everything would be contingent upon their history with the lending institution. There was a lot of legal stuff involved that Allen needed to learn more about as well. Allen couldn’t really do anything more until he got more information from Davis.
In the midst of this activity, Lena sharp wandered into the living room, studying Allen for a brief moment and wondering what her son was up to.
“What you doin’ baby?” she inquired.
“I’m just working on a project”, answered Allen succinctly.
“Is it for work?”
“No, I don’t think this type of work would be required at the Hotel.”
“You looking for another job?”
“No, I’m just researching something to try to help a friend.”
“Oh, well, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”
“Since you’re here, there’s been something that I wanted to ask you. Do you think God leads people into situations and gives them these sort of missions? Sort of like if you pass the mission, you get to go to the next level?”
“I’m not sure if I know what you’re talking about sweetheart.”
“It’s just that I was reading the Bible the other day, and I was thinking that maybe my time at the hotel is like my mission. Like there’s something that I’m supposed to do there and then once my work is done, I’ll get to move on.”
“Did you hear a Word from the Lord confirming this?”
“No, not like a voice from beyond or anything, but it’s just like a feeling. You know?”
“Be careful, Allen. Sometimes your feelings can fool you. What do you think is your mission from God?”
“I think he sent me to the hotel to be a help to someone there, and in the process help a lot of other people.”
“How would you do that?”
“I can’t really say too much right now, but I think God wants me to use the skills that I have to help someone who is in need. I was even thinking that if this works out, I’d be able to start something that may help other people.”
“I don’t know, Allen. Only God would be able to tell you if you’re on the right track.”
“Maybe this feeling that I have is His way of letting me know.”
“Pray about it, Allen. The last thing you want to do is rush ahead of God.”
“I have been praying about it. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been praying forever.”
“I know this isn’t easy for you because you’re so used to doing and helping, but maybe what God wants you to do is to stop doing. Now God could have a mission for you down there at the hotel or He could simply have put you there to learn. It could be that you’re the one who needs the help.”
“I’ve thought about it that way, but how can someone grow spiritually through manual labor.”
“I don’t know, but God has spoken to and worked through a lot of manual laborers. David was a shepherd, Amos was a gatherer of sycamore fruit, the Apostles were fishermen, Paul was a tent maker, and even Jesus himself was a carpenter. So don’t knock it.”
“I’m not saying that there aren’t jobs that involve manual labor that aren’t important or that don’t involve real skill or brains. I think Davis is amazing with the way that he can fix just about anything. But my job is so different. All I do is sweep, mop and buff. If it wasn’t for Davis showing me how to do small repairs, my job could be done by a ten year old.”
“Allen, I can’t tell you how God will work, but one thing I do know is that he will work. Don’t worry so much about finding out what’s supposed to happen next. Just keep working on your relationship with God. Remember: Seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you.”1
“But I thought that having a relationship with God meant that I would be walking in His will for me. Is it so wrong to want to know what that will is?”
“No. But if we want to know his will, we first have to learn how to trust God so we can be obedient. That means believing, trusting, reading his word and praying. Remember the relationship is not about us, so much as it is learning to love the Lord with your whole heart and your whole mind.”
“And just when I thought I was figuring things out.”
“Allen, when you have a relationship with God you don’t have to figure out. He shows you.
Forty-Five