One of the greatest things about trusting completely in Jesus is receiving the Holy Spirit within us, not just when we worship or pray, but in the drudgery and routine of our daily lives. That spirit within us is the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11) and provides the power to make all things possible.
When I was working as a pest control technician and starting a new career at 42, I had an unforgettable experience. I was living my Christian faith but I didn’t wear it on my sleeve or talk about it unless I was asked because I didn’t want to come off sounding preachy or holier than thou. I was convinced I could show them Christ through my attitude and actions. One day I got a call from a prospective customer with a pest problem. She was an older lady. I inspected her home and sat down with her at the kitchen table to go over my proposal to eliminate the problem. As I told her about all of the things I planned to do I added that I would need her assistance. I said, “In order to do a thorough treatment I will have to treat your closets and I need for you to remove all of the clothes.” There was dead silence for what seemed like an eternity as she stared down at the table. Then she looked up at me and said, “You are a believer, aren’t you?” I was shocked. I felt like a spy whose cover had just been blown. I said, “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?” Then she told me that her husband died about six months ago and she could not bring herself to remove his clothes from the closet. She said, “When you told me I had to take the clothes out of the closet, it was as if God was speaking to me through you and telling me it is time.” Every time I think about that encounter with that sweet lady, my eyes fill with tears. When we follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives we will find ourselves in places where God can use us in spite of ourselves. I was thinking treatment procedures, but He put the words in my mouth that she needed to hear.
By the way, my quiet Christian life of service did get the attention of my coworkers and my supervisors. I sort of know how Joseph felt as he lived for God while a slave in Egypt. Living for God and serving others he first gained the complete trust of Potiphar, then he gained the complete trust of the prison warden and finally he gained the complete trust of Pharaoh. Instead of feeling sorry for myself having to slave away at the bottom of a new career path in my middle age, I put my trust in the Lord and then worked and studied hard in humble service to others. In just five years I went from service technician for a regional pest control company to service manager then to corporate trainer. I held that challenging and rewarding career position for nearly 17 years. God is good.