Epic (Temporary) Fail

I cannot believe I let a somewhat important anniversary date in my life go without much hoopla or reflection. I mean, after all, that's what I do. I internalize, I contemplate, and I reflect. Yeah, April 12 was my birthday. April 13, one year ago, I lost my job of 10 years, and it was quite hard on me. I spent the next nine months playing Mr. Mom, taking care of being a full-time college student at the same time, and dealing with a general feeling of inadequacy.
There were times in that period that I felt like a complete failure.
It was a time that I realized God was doing some major stripping away of things in my life. I had done Christian retail for 13 years, the last ten at the same location. I knew that line of work and could do it better than anyone else. It is a dream of mine to own my own store one day. Yet I became an outsider to that industry. And I have to be completely honest, visiting some Christian retail stores now still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
I had started back to college in 2008. I had been taking classes at night and online, and was then able to devote myself full-time after losing my job. Yet as I was about to begin my final semester, something happened to my funding that forbade me from returning to school. In the meantime I was applying to jobs left and right and from April through November I interviewed, maybe three times.
It was after that stripping away that I received my next interview and my current job. I talked about it in December on this blog. I can look back on the loss of my job now and see that God was leading me to a better situation, a job in a company that supports its employees and wants to see them succeed. It does have its hardships and its struggles, but I am grateful for the chance to succeed.
It may not seem like much of a success story, but it is a step in the right direction. Need more inspiration? Consider this:
William Hershey failed in business before his last endeavor into the candy business.
Hiram U. Grant didn't even get his name registered right upon his registration to West Point. Of course, if my name was Hiram, I'd be OK with that. They registered him as Ulysses S. Grant, and it stuck. He left the Army in the 1850's, struggled with alcohol, and ended up as a clerk in his father's store before war broke out in 1861.
Kurt Warner struggled as a backup quarterback and got a job in a supermarket before he became a successful quarterback.
It truly seemed like Jesus' earthly mission had failed to the crowds that had Him crucified. Ultimately that turned out to be the greatest success story ever.
Your circumstance may be hard. But I tell you, hold on. It is leading to something greater down the road.