More from James Cain

To begin with, my sincerest thanks to The Upper Room for publishing my devotional, to everyone who offered their praise and comments on it, and to God Almighty for giving me this opportunity to share his love and wisdom with so many people.

The funny thing is, I never had any dreams of becoming a professional musician when I was younger, let alone a piano teacher.  My biggest passion as a child (aside from video games) was animation, but my parents’ decision to enroll me in piano lessons was apparently part of God’s plan to use the talent he’d given me to bless others in unique ways.  Besides playing for my church, I’ve also had the blessing of playing for a jazz ensemble in college, accompanying a short play, and accompanying a number of concerts for a middle/high school choir.  Learning how to play an instrument well has taken me to many more places than I anticipated, to say the least!

Besides being able to bless others through music, these blessings have had a special meaning for me personally as well.  Roughly twelve years ago, when my first job after college blew up in my face, I struggled for a long time to believe that I was capable of doing anything significant with my life, or even holding a steady job.  But considering everything that’s happened since then—the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the opportunities that were always closer than I thought—it’s become clear to me that God still had and has good plans for me.  While those plans are still in motion and far from complete, I’ve found it very helpful to look back at the times when I couldn’t see my way forward, but God could.  This has held especially true for me in recent days as I figure out the next steps of my life and career and continue working hard at my jobs, all while dealing with the “demon” known as mononucleosis.  It’s been a challenge, to say the least, but if faith in God has led me this far, then I know things will “work together for good,” (Rom. 8:28, NRSVUE) in one way or another.  Praise be to God’s holy name, and may his plans for you come to fruition as well.  God bless!