In early 1990, I got “wiped out”. By that I mean that
through a bad deal in Saudi Arabia, I lost literally everything that I owned,
had saved or amassed throughout my work life to that time. I was at the peak of
my professional career having built a company that went global. It was not unusual
for me to travel extensively spending weeks in Europe and the Middle East. I
was a very successful CEO of a global corporation. I was in command of my own
life (or so I thought). However, God had other plans for me and the first step
was to be broken for His purpose. To say that it was a painful experience is to
understate it considerably.
I remember one very bad night when it struck me that I had
nothing left. The vast emptiness of my life suddenly fell in upon me harder
than I could ever have imagined. In that moment I knew what despair was. I was lost, alone and felt there was nothing left
for me.In that moment which was the lowest point of my life, I
literally felt a soft touch on my shoulder. Many who read this who have never
experienced such a moment will no doubt think it was a figment of my
imagination. Think what you will. I know what I felt.
I was reminded of a picture I saw once of footprints in the
sand and a poem that described a dream in which they were walking with God. In
the poem, the writer saw the footprints of two persons, then only one and then
two again. Assuming that the single set of footprints were theirs and not God’s,
the author asked why God had abandoned them at times in their walk. God
answered that it was at those times that they did not abandon them but rather
carried them..during the tough times.
I fell to my knees and surrendered to God. I begged him for
mercy and help. I had been arrogant and vain, convinced that I was master of my
life and in complete control. I learned the truth that it is a fantasy and that
God is in control, not me.
I don’t know how long I was on my knees surrendering and
praying for forgiveness for my arrogance. I do know that a peace came over me
and a conviction that I was in His hands and that He would provide for me and
care for all my needs. I heard Sister Theresa’s simple but powerful words. “You
don’t realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have”.
I started over and form that day, things slowly began to get
better. It was not easy but once I had gotten my pride out of the way and surrendered
myself to His will, my path became easier and miraculous things began to
happen. There have been numerous miracles in my life since then. I want to
relate a couple of them to you.
I got a job with a limousine service and drove a stretch
limo in the evenings while working at odd jobs during the day. I was able to
rent a small cottage from a very kind lady who allowed me to pay as I could and
I met a wonderful woman who became my wife a few years later (ironically, she
had lived in the same cottage that I was renting when she was a child).
The first miracle involved meeting and having lunch with Sir
Paul McCartney and the second was getting a job at Microsoft.
I was called to do a job in Columbia, SC. to pick up a
celebrity at the airport in Columbia and transport them according to their instructions.
I was not told who they were.
Imagine my surprise when Sir Paul and Linda got in the car!
I took them to the local coliseum and was asked to standby
in case they or members of their band needed to go anywhere. Everyone was hard at work getting ready for
the show that night and it was past lunch time. I was alone in the rear of the
facility where an area was set aside for the crew to eat. There were picnic tables
around and Sir Paul travelled with his own food and chef. I asked for a
sandwich and the chef made me a veggie burger. I sat down alone in the facility
to eat. After a few minutes, someone behind me said, “Mind if we join you?” I
looked around and there was Sir Paul and Linda McCartney! I was stunned but managed
to say, “I would be honored!”.
They sat down with me and for the next 30 minutes, we
talked. Sir Paul wanted to know about me, my life and experiences. Whenever I would
ask a question of him, he always turned the conversation back to me. Imagine
that, he wanted to know about me!
After a while I got comfortable talking with him and felt
like I was talking with an old friend. He was so polite and personable! All of
a sudden, it hit me that I was talking with PAUL MCCARTNEY!
I said to him, “Paul (he would not allow me to call him
anything but Paul), this is surreal!”. He replied, “why is that Dave?” I
stammered, “For goodness sakes, you’re one of the Beatles! I grew up listening
to your music and being a huge fan! Now I am actually talking with you!”.
He smiled and said, “It’s no big deal, I put my pants one
leg at a time like everyone else.” We both laughed and I was immediately struck
at the wonderful humility and humor of the man. It made me realize just how
ridiculous I had been all those years in my arrogance and pride. I learned a lot that day and found a friend
and inspiration in Sir Paul McCartney.
The second “miracle” happened when I was assigned to drive
Microsoft employees (at their facility in Charlotte) from the building to their
cars. On one of my trips, I asked one of my passengers how one could get a job
there. He gave me a fax number and I got a resume together and sent it. They
contacted me and over a period of about 2 months, I went through interviews, training
and testing and got a job for $10 an hour supporting Dos (Disk Operating
System) on the phone to customers.
From that job, I gradually worked my way “back” and today
have a Director job with an international corporation.
God is good, He is always there and He never abandons us. I
know He never abandoned me, that’s for sure!
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