by Steven Koch

Created on: January 26, 2010   Last Updated: January 27, 2010

Why did God create me is a question we all ask ourselves especially during a times of personal trial. We pray for direction and trust that God will answer. It is our faith that brings us through to the other side of a crisis. It is our hope that we correctly interpret what God has in store for us.

Each of us has our own talents and abilities. These are gifts from God and we honor Him by using them to the best of our ability. It is by using our talents that we find our purpose and a deeper happiness and satisfaction in our lives.

I worked for a large company for 34 years. I planned on staying until I retired, which was still another six years away, unless they offered me a package to retire. One day they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse – they “eliminated” my job. I saw it coming. During a group meeting two months before, our supervisor said that in the next round of cuts one person would have to leave. I did the math. Yes I was the most experienced. No there wasn’t anything wrong with my work or my production. The company wanted to cut expenses. That being the goal, it was logical to cut the person with the most vacation time and the highest salary; in other words – me.

For the next month, I worried about being laid off, fired, let go, eliminated, whatever you want to call it. I had some sleepless nights. As I was driving to work one day I accepted what I knew all along – the decision was going to be made with or without my worrying. I looked up and said “God I am in your hands. Let me know what I need to do.” I felt a peace come upon me at that moment and did not worry about the decision again.

When I got the word, the hardest thing was saying goodbye to the great group of people I had worked with for the past 15-20 years. They were angry that it happened and very supportive. Tears were shed; hugs were exchanged and promises made to see each other soon – promises that have been kept.

I spent the next month thinking, praying and talking to trusted friends about what I should do next. My pension and 401K were in fairly good shape, but since I was only 52, I could not touch them without serious tax penalties.

Before the month was over, I felt confident in what I had to do. Since high school I knew that I wanted to write fiction. I wrote a number of short stories and played with some larger ideas for novels, but the job, raising a family and keeping a roof over our heads took priority. Dreams of writing faded to the background, but I believe it is what God want me to do. He knew I was not going to leave the comfort of a secure job so he used a big boot to push me out.

It has been a little over a year now and I have taken a number of writing classes and recently started writing for Helium. I have also begun my first novel, a mystery, and am about a 25 percent done. Time will tell if I have made the right decision. I don’t expect to be the next Dan Brown or James Patterson. I do know I am enjoying what I am doing.

We each have our own path to follow through life. I hope and pray that I have found mine.

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