Everything up to this point

A few weeks ago, I was skimming through a book entitled, From Bad Beginnings to Happy Endings, by Ed Young, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publ., 1994), and came upon this passage, somewhat paraphrased here…

…I could bore you with the story of my life, selling newspapers, painting house numbers on curbs, selling men’s clothing, working in a coal mine, surveying land, setting of dynamite for tunneling, and wiring houses for electricity.

‘’I could tell you countless stories about my mother and father, brothers, aunts, uncles and old friends.

But I am convinced, as boring as those details seem to you, strung together they would reflect the supernatural work of God in my life and his preparation for what he has called me to do today. God has used every success, every failure in my life to this point to equip me for his service.‘’

I could substitute some of the tasks and activities, in the first paragraph, but other than that, this expresses what I have felt for some time now.

Isaiah 43:18

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.’’

Job 11:13-18

“Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.’’