What does God see when he looks at us like ants in a field, unable to see ahead or behind us.
Today I had a chance to think about what happened over the last few days. All the joys, all the let downs, all the triumphs and all the failures.
Yesterday we cured the very first tire in the new Continental factory in Sumter. It started all the previous Friday when I arrived and found the programmer struggling to even make the machine do anything. Nothing will move. On top of this we have no steam to run the machine and things were looking quite bleak. In fact things were so bad that I even negotiated with the supplier of the machine that we work on Sunday....
By the time I arrive on Saturday I find the programmer with a big smile on his face..... the machine is moving.
Later in the day I get the good news that we can test the steam supply and after a long day at work we successfully test the steam supply and the piping to the machine and have absolutely no issues. I call off the work on Sunday.
Sunday turns out to be one of the best days I have had this year.... A true blessing from God
On Monday we find that some of the pieces of the tooling are missing and we have to call off the first tire for the Monday. But we still make as much progress as we can and try to anticipate as much for the big day.
Tuesday morning and the missing equipment has arrived ..... but now the machine will not work in auto mode. It will just not do the full cycle in order to cure the tire. Along with that we make many small mistakes and had many delays..... all could be expected due to a new team and little experience but this was not what we needed. As the time ticks away and the time draws near to the manager arriving things are looking bad.... very bad. But it was that day that the project leader arrived on site and within half an hour we have the press running through the auto cycle. Unfortunately at this time EVERYONE was there to watch and we were not ready... in fact we had not done a single test on the machine at this point.... these tests were supposed to be done the day before but I guess things don't always work as you want them to.
The whole thing is almost called off but with a glimmer of hope we have the machine closed heating up getting ready for the tire.... 30 minutes to go and its back on. We don't know what the machine will do to the tire whatsoever.
The tire is put into the machine 30 minutes later and when its cured its Prefect. A success.
But this success did not come without small failures, mistakes, miscommunication and various other issues.
It was not an easy task and at times I thought to myself what am I doing, I'm not qualified for this job, I'm not ready for this, I don't know what might happen and how to solve a random issue. I think is is probably much how David felt at the time he looked up into the eyes of Goliath and saw the monstrosity that stood before him..... what an overwhelming feeling and his case was life or death.... that took a whole other level of trust that I am still to learn.
I can tell you that after everything is said and done and the first tire is cured the things that occurred were not an accident they had nothing to do with whether you are qualified or not, although it does help =) what really matters is who/what you put your trust in. It is unbelievable how much stuff is out of your control how much is considered good luck or coincidence but I would like to call it a Godincidence. The fact that everything happened the way it did caused me to call off the Sunday work day and end up having a very special day. Added to this the fact that some of the equipment was missing caused us to call off the first attempt early and potentially cause ourselves much embarrassment. And to top off all of this the one guy that we needed to get the machine working arrived the very next day 1 hour before we needed to run the machine.
So after thinking back at everything that happened over the past few days I have no doubt that God orchestrated the whole thing and He loved doing it and even though I was questioning what was happening only God could see the final result and how beautifully it all came together for the good of those work trust in Him and work hard to do the best they can. It was also on Monday morning that myself and my colleague prayed before the day and asked God for guidance and strength and at times I felt misguided and weak but God was smiling waiting for it all to unravel before our eyes and the joy that comes from hard work and perseverance.
Not only did I learn to let go of trying to control everything but I also learned that we are all human and we all makes mistakes and what makes the hugest difference is how we react to these mistakes and what we do and say while around others. We are the light God has sent out into the world and we need to ensure that we shine and show compassion, love, patience and to have humility. This is definitely easier said than done.
I too made mistakes and realising this helps me to show these characteristics of God. The fact that the first tire was cured perfectly did not make me proud or arrogant.... it made me even more humble.
Trust in God in all things and with all things as He is intimately involved in our lives, working out everything for the good of those who trust in Him and work with him.
Keep on doing what God has lead you to do and do it well to the best of your ability and let God do the rest, Faith, Trust and Hope.
Have a great day and feel blessed because everyday that God gives us is another day to be more like Him.
Much Love
Dani D
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