Why it is better to trust than to plan
I was desperate for a job. I looked high and low and prayed, but nothing seemed to happen. I was doing short-term contract work, and the project was almost finished. We were living in someone else’s house. We did not have any savings to fall back on. My recent experience did not qualify me for much, as I worked as a computer teacher at an NGO (Non-government organization for charity) in India. There I taught basic programming skills to people with physical and mental disabilities.
As I prayed about the situation a verse from the Bible came to mind. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
In 2002 we left India and went to Cape Town to start over. I believed that I would never go back to India. I told myself that we’ve done what we could there, and now it was time to settle down and get a good job. But finding a job was not easy. I never could market myself well. I went to many interviews, but I just couldn’t clinch it.
When that went on long enough, I had a call from an old friend. Pieter told me that they have a vacancy at the Agricultural College for someone who could teach basic computer skills to their students. The pay wasn’t much, and it also was not a permanent position, but it could change. So I took it.
But in my heart, I asked the Lord the reason for giving me such an unsuitable and low-paying job. I wanted to do programming, and did not know if we could survive on my salary. It was also quite a far commute.
We did survive, and in fact, I thrived in my job. We even bought our first house during those times. I also got a chance to design, build and implement a comprehensive student and course management system all on my own from scratch. I even enjoyed teaching and developed the curriculum since there was nothing available. I learned a lot about the basics of being a software developer, a mentor and a coach.
I loved the historic farm where we had our offices. Mine was in a separate building, and I had time to think and for a lot of creativity. The silence and beauty there has a way of seeping into your soul.
The other lecturers also inspired me to take up running. We were altogether about 10 lecturers and 6 of them were runners. I was privileged to become, for a short time, a part of their tight-knit community. A different Pieter (Langenegger) was in his fifties but an ultra-runner par excellence. He and Jasper, Alwyn and Willie believed in me as I started my first tentative runs in 2003. My first race was a 10k. I soon ran my first half marathon and within a few months did a marathon. I wasn’t prepared for it and had to walk a lot, but I completed it. I soon found that I can outrun my colleagues, and ran a 40 minute 10k and a 1:23 half marathon.
But before I could become too attached to my life as a lecturer, I got replaced due to the equal opportunity policies of our country. The company my brother worked for in SAP HR solutions needed consultants. I interviewed and got the job. That was the next step God had for me, and again it seemed wrong at the time, but “not leaning on your own understanding” means you may not know why, but God is trustworthy.
So much of who I am today is because of the two years and some months that I worked at Elsenburg Agricultural College. I took the job, not expecting much, but God’s plans were far more comprehensive and far-reaching than my own understanding. Today, here in India, I see the path that God made possible through that preparation. I am still running, and that has become a source of so much joy in my life. As the CTO of a company, I still draw on the lessons I learned as a developer, a coach and a mentor.
I am not against planning, but our understanding is limited. God knows the entire story, and since He cares for us, we should trust Him.
Keep running
Stephan
