Layoff

Yesterday, I was told that due to company's situation, I was let go. My first reaction was: Great!, praise Lord. It was an answer to the prayer. I am very relieved that the decision was finally made, and I am leaving this company. Even though I praise Lord, I know in the deep part of my heart, I harbored some discontentment about this job prior to hearing this. I was selfish, discontent, unplesant and ungrateful when I was working for this company. I was fearful of men, not loving the Lord as I should, and being useless for the Lord. So when I was told I was let go, even though I was happy, I fear that I disappointed the Lord in many instances for the last six months. Lord is gracious and He provides abundantly. Thank you, Lord!

Today while reading 1 Peter 1:6-7: " for those you greatly rejoice, even though for now, if necessary, you have been distressed for various trials. These have come so that your faith, more precious than gold, which is perishable, refined by fire, may be proved genuine and result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

What a great passage. I want to have a faith like that, precious than gold and be able to pass through fire to make it purer. I know in upcoming days there will be trials, and I am excited to see what God will bring to Cristen's and my life and how He provides. I just pray that I will not overly confident in my so called ability (which is nothing), but relying on Him and His guidance. Otherwise, I know I will disappoint myself if I rely on myself.

Poor Cristen. I love her, and I am so sorry that she has to go through this with me. But I know she is strong in the Lord and I am confident that she will be a great comforter to me. I am blessed with her.

Make me joyful, thankful and satisfied, Lord. Amen.

Market Timing

There is no better and wise way to beat the market by buy low and sell high. A good example is Bank of America (BAC). Even though I had a strong faith in this stock when it was at $19 a share (the 52-week low), I did not purchase the stock at $27.5. Instead, I got into GE. A couple of weeks later, BAC is at $30 and GE is now at $27.92. (Btw, I got into BAC at $50 range). Another good sample that applies to the normal people’s career is the current CFO of KB Home, Don Cecere, who got into the homebuilder industry at the height of the boom and make bundle of money and quit at the beginning of the downturn. He sure knows how to time his career market.

Market timing - identify the right opportunity – is a very hard thing to do, particularly during extreme markets (very low or very high). Every move is against the public belief, and most of the time you have to move your resources from other investments to invest in something that may not be successful. Market timing trade may not work. That not only requires a total devotion to the study of the market and take a calculated risk, but also requires a good understanding to the “big picture” (including self and the market) and discipline. Lesson learned: be decisive, disciplined, never regret for what you done but learn from it (for this is what the Lord blesses you with, and you will never take it away to the next life), study the market and understand the environment around you carefully, and seek for wisdom and blessing from the Lord.