“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
This week was a week of closure for me. Many of you know that I recently resigned my position as Spalding County Manager and will soon assume a similar post in Durham County, North Carolina.
Obviously, there were a lot of good byes to say to all the friends I’ve made since I arrived in Griffin. I don’t know if I ever remember feeling sad and excited at the same time, but I do know that these two emotions don’t belong together. I’ve really had to wrestle with them, especially over the last couple of weeks.
I want you to know how blessed you are to live in a community like Griffin. When I rode in here nine years ago, I thought Griffin was the most god-forsaken place I’d ever laid my eyes on. In fact, when I arrived at the motel the night before I was to begin my new job as Spalding County Manager, I telephoned my best friend back in Kannapolis, NC, the lady to whom I am now married, and cried my eyes out. I was so alone and so broken.
That was tough time for me. I was recovering from a tumultuous divorce and struggling with the reality that I was 300 miles away from my two children. Distance was going make it very difficult for me to be the kind of father to them that I wanted to be.
But I didn’t have a lot of options. I had been out of work for almost six months and it seemed like Spalding County was the only county that would take me. I came so close to landing several jobs, but the doors always seemed to close and I never understood why. Believe me. God’s hand was at work.
When I interviewed for the Spalding County job, I told the Board of Commissioners that I had decided to live my life differently. No longer would I put my professional life first, I told them. If they hired me, they needed to realize that I was going to put God first in my life, my family second, and my job third. I couldn’t believe I said that, and I couldn’t believe it when they called me about a week later and offered me the job.
I’ve tried to live up to that promise over the last nine years. Oh I’ve slipped more times than I care to remember, but I’ve always picked myself up and tried to keep my eyes on the Lord Jesus. You see I promised him six months before Spalding County hired me that I would change if He would help me and I don’t plan to change the direction in which I’m heading.
I am convinced that my success here in Spalding County is a blessing from God. He has taken good care of me and I believe He has abundantly blessed this county because it employed a chief administrative officer who promised to put God first in his life.
What many of you don’t know is that God has used you to bring healing to my life. I am no longer broken. I am strong now and so grateful for the hundreds of friends who love me unconditionally. Isn’t that what God’s love is all about?
So I move on, but I don’t move out. In fact, I am glad to report that my column will continue to be featured every Saturday in the Griffin Daily News. You can thank our publisher, Jennifer Allen, for that decision. So while I may not be around town during the week, you’ll still be able to catch up with me every Saturday.
See you in the newspaper.
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