Your Faith Determines Your Future!

CHAPTER 7

Faith to Overcome Failures

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and

through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

—2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

You can do great things. Your potential may be unrealized at the moment, but a latent seed can still grow and produce much fruit!

In August 1989 I started work as a Research Scientist for the CSIRO Division of Wool Technology in Geelong. After 12 months instead of making my position permanent (as previously promised two times by my boss) I was placed on extended probation in order to assess my work further. After another three months my superiors unofficially sacked me. (The official letter had not yet been signed off). It was a devastating blow. After ten years at university it was now all to no avail. I wondered if my life would ever recover. My reputation would be shattered. I had three months employment remaining – my research leader did not care if I came to work or stayed at home for that duration.

After praying to God for my work that night with David Bernard and friends at a local bible study in Williamstown I received fresh courage. I arrived the next morning to work at 8am much to the chagrin of my boss, determined to overturn this decision. For the next three months I worked as if my life depended upon it – and I prayed like I had never prayed before, drawing upon all the trust and faith in God that I could. During this time the assistant chief of division invited me into his office and recommended that I resign because it would smooth things out – they would not have to sack me and I would not have that “blot” on my record – but I would have to admit that I could not cope with textile research. I felt like I was in the middle of the plot of a Hollywood drama – except my life really was at stake! I rejected the “kind” offer of the assistant chief and he reconciled himself with having at least tried to help me. I was even more determined to show that I could succeed in this work – not knowing what lay ahead. But I prayed and worked – knowing in my heart that somehow God would work things out.

Towards the end of those three months my determination to “save my future” eventually paid off into my being given a three year research fellowship. This was one of the biggest miracles of my life. Subsequent to this God-given deliverance my three line managers still conspired against me by assigning public staff presentations to me they were confident I would do badly in. Those next three years were some of the most intense in my life!

But I held on to the belief that God would give myself and Nick Sokolov (the eccentric but brilliant engineer from Footscray) excellent results in our worsted rectilinear combing research project (Dan. 2:21,22). After another two years or so we were actually leading the world in combing production rate research. This remarkable turnaround of events stunned our division, and our research presentations solicited huge interest. Some of the mathematics that was derived during this work was later published in one of the world’s leading textile research journals (J.T.I. 95 (2004) 261). This publication established the results on credible international grounds.

God came through and changed my future because I chose to believe and fought for my job, my self-esteem and my faith. It was very difficult, it was extremely stressful, but with God all things were possible.

No matter how defeated you may feel today, despite the rejection and negative words you may have experienced, you can still arise out of your ashes and achieve victory in your life with God’s help.

Don’t give up. Fight for your future. Fight for your faith. Keep wrestling against your common enemies of fear, anxiety, confusion, doubt, unbelief, sin and self-centredness!