Rob Miller Trusts God with His Career

Rob Miller tells how God helps him pursue his dream of becoming a screenwriter.

By Rob Miller, Northridge, CA

When I decided to quit my job and drive across the country to L.A. in 1988 to pursue my dream of becoming a screenwriter, I was alone and afraid. I had left security behind and was heading off to this land of the unknown. As the years went by and my scripts still weren't selling, I would often reflect on those four days when I was alone with God with nothing to do but pray. During that time, I had a clear sense of peace that everything would be okay. I didn't know how I was going to be okay or what I was going to do. But I knew that God would take me all the way. And for the next fifteen years or so, I realized that those truths, those prayers, were still effective. Of course, I didn't stop praying just because I had prayed for four days years ago. But never once did I doubt in God's ability to bring my honest desires to fruition. I never thought, "Well, I have to get a fallback career if it doesn't work out." My motives for writing were pure: I wrote because I really loved it, and I wanted to write good things.

I was able to sell essays, which I also loved writing. But I still wanted to sell scripts. And then one day, I felt compelled to write a Christmas script. The story came to me easily and naturally. It was as if I was following instructions from God regarding what to write. "Three Days" deals a lot with forgiveness, redemption, and appreciating life and those we love. And it seemed like it was going to be produced pretty quickly, as it was optioned in '97 with the very first producer to whom I presented it. The TV network she approached was ready to make it; they even had a star attached to it. I was thrilled. My prayers were really working.

Then, all of a sudden, the producer emailed me and said, "The deal's off." I didn't learn until later that the movie was dropped because she had misrepresented the project, which caused the network to drop it even though they liked it. I felt shocked, and angry, and betrayed. While I'm usually able just to let go and forgive because I know that others are really hurting themselves more than me, this time I held onto my negative feelings. But after awhile, I realized this was counter-productive. Also, I reasoned that often people are doing what seems to them to be their own sense of right. If we don't forgive after a situation like mine, we're just setting ourselves up for a rough and rocky ride, because on the next project, we're likely to run into challenges again. I finally got to the point where I had no problems being completely loving toward any of the individuals who had blocked the production of "Three Days."

Later, another individual who had previously read my script wanted to try to get "Three Days" produced. Once again, I was sky high with excitement. But as it turned out, there was one other script this network was considering. At the last minute, they went with the other script (which ultimately never got made). My disappointment was intense. But I believe that God takes us not half way, but all the way. There are lots of examples of this in the Bible -- like Joseph. Here's this guy who has a loving father, a wonderful life, and the next moment his brothers throw him into a pit. He's sold into slavery and taken to another country, Egypt, and eventually thrown into prison. But even in a situation that appeared to be hopeless, Joseph was able to maintain his hope and his ability to listen to God. Out of the dungeon, he rose to second in command in the entire kingdom. As a result, he was able to save his family from famine. God took him all the way. And knowing this helped me through my own pit of despair. I knew that God would take me all the way.

So, I persisted. I took the script to a third individual who remembered it, liked it, and called the FOX Family channel (later renamed ABC Family). Interestingly, the person who had liked the script when it was first presented in '97 had moved over to FOX Family and immediately bought it. God had certainly been directing my life. Everything fell into place very quickly. There wasn't a long process of waiting. "Three Days" was shot in a few months and aired shortly thereafter. Being able to let go, to forgive, and to trust that God would take me all the way enabled me to receive the blessings that God had prepared for me. Our humble prayers are effective. As the psalmist affirms, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Ps 37:4).

Topics