The Plan

My dad had been a schemer. A planner. A people reader. He had to be to stay ahead of the game and to put food on the table. I don't think he ever indulged himself by dreaming that one day he could be white collar or a business owner. He knew he was just a plain old working stiff. Nope, he just needed enough of a plan to survive. 

In 1945 Dad was released from the Navy and had already planned his next step. He went back to his hometown and connected with old friends. Soon he had a decent paying job as a hod carrier, just as he had hoped. A couple of years after that, he worked his way into the bricklaying trade. It was hard and dirty work but the money was good. After years of lugging brick and mortar around and building walls of concrete blocks, my dad decided he should take the next logical step and learn how to be an estimator. There wasn’t a school to go to for learning the finer points of estimating jobs, so he sought out knowledgeable men and began networking with them. A few months into learning the basics of estimating and convincing someone to give him experience, an out of state construction company hired him. Dad moved his family of four to the new location with anticipation and he was not disappointed.  At this Company, he received much needed estimating experience and was mentored by a clever businessman and, soon to be, good friend. Dad's plan seemed to be working.

For a number of years finances were coming along nicely, for a change. Dad had been estimating and supervising the jobs and developing a good reputation in the community. He was a self-taught, self-made man and he finally had a little corner of the world he could call his own. He took great pride in the house he had, and the opportunities offered to him. He was at a comfortable place.

Back during the Great Depression, he remembered, there was no comfortable place for him. He did, however, have a time of refuge. At one point he had formed a particularly strong bond with a group of nuns who had cared for him and showed great compassion. After that, my Dad had always considered himself to be Catholic.  He never forgot their kindness to him and was always grateful. But, he never went to church. In contrast, he always encouraged me to attend church with the neighbors. I'm sure, though, it was to get me and my brother out of the house on Sunday mornings. I was a bubbly and talkative kid and loved going to church. It was a great social connection and I had a nice group of friends. As I became a teenager, church began to mean more to me. I became very excited about the Lord and constantly invited Dad to attend church. However, he always scoffed at the prospect and made lighthearted jokes. Finally, somehow, God got my dad's attention. Maybe it was my incessant chatter. I don't know. But Dad began to scoff a little less and reply "maybe" to my invitations. I think he secretly began to consider that possibly his own plan had a flaw and that he didn't have to do this all by himself. That maybe God did have a better plan. The day my dad gave his life to the Lord put me in shock…my hope had become a reality and I was speechless.

From that moment of initial faith my dad learned to love the Lord. He was NOT a perfect man. He was just a Christian Man struggling like everyone else, learning to trust less in himself and more in Christ. Then the day came when the Company had chosen to downsize the business and three-month notices were given. My dad was going to lose his job. I'm sure terror struck his heart at first and his stomach was in knots. He had come so far from being the homeless imp to being at the top in his field. As scared as he was, he knew it was time to put a new plan into action. As a natural born businessman, he felt he should strike out on his own, and start his own business. But, it was risky. A financial failure at this point could be devastating to him and his family. Construction equipment did not come cheap and he didn't know how to run the business side of things. But, he did what he did best…he buckled down. He did his homework, borrowed some money, did a little negotiating and most importantly, trusted God and His Plan. Dad's business was born and it even thrived.

As his business prospered, so did my Dad. He gave time and money generously to causes, and to the church. He hosted Bible studies with other businessmen and his reputation expanded. Many people were touched by Dad's testimony of God's great grace and he was known as a good man. My dad remained humble at heart and he knew his success was not of his own doing. His blessings came from trusting God’s Grace Plan and not from his own feeble scrappy schemes.

Yes, he was just a working stiff, but He had a great Plan. Dad chose to thrive, not just survive. Don’t you just love it when a Plan comes together?

Jeremiah 29:11

I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for…  (Good News Translation)