For the longest time my prayers resembled a broken record. Not all days, but most. I seemed to pray for the same things, same people, often with the same words and phrases. Over and over. It began to bother me. So I took an honest look at my prayer life. Wasn’t pretty.

I love success stories. But the older I become, the less intrigued I am simply by the “success” part. It’s the unwavering perseverance to do, be or become something that speaks to me. It’s staying the course in rain or shine. That’s the real story in the story.

Take Steve Harvey. 1 He was once a broke, no-name comedian traveling alone from town to town for stand-up gigs. He lived out of his car, slept at rest stops, and fished in roadside ponds for food. Not a glamorous time in his life. But here is the part that speaks to me….

He didn’t just show up for work and quietly do “a job”. He had to stand on a stage and be funny! Even when nothing around him was easy or funny. Those were some hard days, but he did it anyway. Rain or shine. Hold that thought but let’s change people….

I stayed true to my faith, but wasn’t obedient to God’s call on my life.

Several years ago I told God I would dedicate the rest of my life to Him. He said, That’s great. I want you to write and I want you to boldly share your faith. Wait, what? My plan was…buy a Jesus sticker for my truck, go to church most Sundays, keep my faith to myself, be a good person, die and go to heaven.

God said, That’s fine, if that’s all you want. Be on the team and sit the bench. But you have repeatedly asked for MY plan for your life. For now, that’s it. So, you want the ball or not? I chose the ball.

In time I was writing and sharing my faith. God sent a man to create a blog site for me, built the platform for The1SixProject, and brought people to support and promote it. As the platform grew, so did my faith. As my faith grew, so did my writing. I never saw that coming.

Then one day I stopped. What started as I’ll write tomorrow, became next week, then the next. The calling to write never left, I just ignored it. It had started to rain. There were more pressing things in my life, or so I thought. So I left the game and took my seat on the bench. God never said a word.

What is your gift? Are you doing what God wants you to do?

Then I read Steve Harvey’s story 2 , and what stuck in my mind was how he showed up no matter what, rain or shine. I saw myself, except I was not showing up. Inspired by his story, I committed to be obedient to God’s call and write 52 stories in 2019. Rain or shine!

When you identify your gift and put it to work for Christ, a huge conduit opens for God to speak to you and work in your life. And when you share your gift, you become the conduit through whom He speaks to and works in the lives of others. That’s how it works.

If you haven’t put your gift to work, take a deep breath and start, even just a little. If you’ve put it on the shelf, pick it up and put it back to work. Either way, get in the game and stay in the game…rain or shine.

Get in the boat. Do your part!

 

Shane /#16

 

Shane Hale is a redeemed & re-purposed professional baseball player and former corporate sales executive. Shane, his wife Michelle, and their three sons live in Mobile, Alabama, USA, where he works as a Realtor. While seeking God’s plan for his life in the summer of 2014, God told Shane to start writing. Today he shares his faith to encourage and inspire others to seek His plan for their lives as well.

This is a condensed version of the original work, “Rain or Shine”,
published in February, 2019. To read the entire version, go to Shane’s
blog at http://www.the1sixproject.com .

 

1. Steve Harvey is now a famous and successful comedian, producer, actor, and television personality. He is also a Christian and often shares about his faith.
2. Steve Harvey, Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance, HarperCollins, 2016

Banner: Rain or Shine, photo by Shane Hale. (1) Success Is A Journey, creator unknown, from “Journey Towards Success” by Orlando Espinosa, Pinterest.com. (2) James 1:12, created by Smith Crafted Woodworks, smithcraftedwoodworks.com. (3) Sunlight In The Rain, wallpaper from livewallpapersfreedownload.blogspot.com.