|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
God's Perfect Will: My New Job Must Be In Texas!By Kathie Foster It amazes me how God's plan for my life often unfolds in a way that is beyond my anticipation. In the ten months since I've graduated from college, my life has been like one of those stories that keeps concluding with "To be continued…" The interesting, and often frustrating, aspect of stories like that, is that most of the time you don't expect such an ending and have to wait until "next time" to find out what happens. Little did I know that God had much more up His sleeve than simply finding a job and (alas!) bringing me into the glamorous realm they call "the real world." Sure, God opened the door for a job, and I'm officially in the workforce; but I never could've imagined that the process would be so full of spiritual growth (read: in spite of my best efforts) and valuable lessons (read: learned the hard way) along the way. After six grueling years of college, I was, shall we say, "eager" to walk across the platform at Southwest Missouri State University on May 14, 1999. For the previous four months, I had been doing an externship at the Veteran's Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. I was receiving my Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders with an emphasis in Audiology, placing me in a profession that deals with the hearing-impaired population. The market was healthy and although I didn't have a guaranteed job at graduation, I certainly wasn't in a panic. The week before, I had attended a large professional conference in Miami for the American Academy of Audiology. Like most large professional conferences, they had a job placement center where you could send your resume in advance and set up interviews. I was in search of a Fellowship position, which is the year of clinical work following graduate school. I was very optimistic that I'd have plenty of opportunities at this conference because there were actually more positions available than attending fellowship prospects. I was also willing to work pretty much anywhere since I reveled in the adventurous thought of moving somewhere I'd never lived. So I had interview-upon-interview for jobs in Michigan, Florida, California, Canada…you name it. I preferred a job in a hospital or a private practice setting, since that matched my talents best. One interview was for a job at a Veteran's hospital in Texas. This was particularly appealing because I had done my externship at a Veteran's hospital, and I had that experience in my favor. Plus, Texas sounded thrilling to me! (It was far away from Missouri, and every church is big and every preacher fiery and anointed, right?). The interview seemed to go well (you never know until they either call or don't call!), and I set my heart on this position. They contacted me shortly thereafter, just to let me know they were definitely interested, and that they would be checking references, and related information. Happily, one of my references was my externship supervisor and she was a personal friend of the interviewer. I had the job! I had to have the job! So I began seeking God about it and praying as I always do when I'm faced with a critical decision: "Lord, open the doors you want opened, and close the doors if it's not your will." While I was praying about it over the next week, eagerly waiting to hear from Texas, land of milk and honey, I received a phone call from one of my supervisors in Columbia. He offered me a full-time position at the Veteran’s Hospital, paying an enticing salary, luscious benefits…and much more than Texas was offering. Now, Columbia is not exactly the Mecca of excitement and social interaction. Yes, it's home of the University of Missouri, but without the university it would basically be a dot on the map. Hence, I affectionately dubbed Columbia "Drabsville"¾ a fine place to attend college, but certainly not the place where I'd want to start a booming career! So, to this generous offer of employment and financial security, I declined without reservation. No, I didn't pray and fast about it before I declined, I just said "No way!" on a whim, with thoughts of the sexy job in Texas, where at least I'd be pursuing my career in a land of myth and adventure! Sure, I'd be paying off my looming student loan debt for twice as long, but hey, logic was not a motivating factor if it meant being stuck indefinitely in Drabsville. Then it suddenly dawned on me (with the help of an ever-present, extremely logical friend), that perhaps God was trying to open a door; even if it meant staying in Drabsville, I should at least be willing to surrender. So I began praying about it and came to the bitter conclusion that I should submit and allow God to work things out. I called my old supervisor back to let him know I'd be willing to consider the possibility, and I'd let him know within a couple weeks. Meanwhile, I was still awaiting a call from Texas, that land of opportunity! A few days later, they called and told me that they had contacted my references, and things were "looking good" for me, so it was pretty much a matter of paperwork and formalities before they could officially offer the position to me. I had the job! I began doing some research on where I would live, what churches were nearby and other important factors in the life of an up-and-comer. While researching Texas, land of hope and deliverance, my supervisor from Drabsville called to tell me that the position was still mine (Nooooo!), but that now it would be five or possibly six months before they could officially make the position available (Yessss!). So, I humbly took this as a closed door, and my heart filled with gratitude God had worked it out. Now I was sure of Texas, land of prosperity, and felt that because I had passed this final test of surrender, the job must definitely be God's will for me. This is when Texas, the armpit of the earth, called and said they'd chosen another applicant! Now my life was somewhat analogous to Abraham’s story, but different. It was as if his scenario had a twist: "Abraham, you don't have to kill your son" (read: settle in Drabsville), "but…you can't keep your son once you've spared his life, you have to give him away to someone else, (read: no job in Texas job waiting with open arms as my reward for obedience)." So then I asked, "What is your will, God? I mean, things are really looking bleak now with no opportunities whatsoever. And I’ve already graduated!" This is where the ram caught in the thicket has to appear…but from where? To be continued…(Sorry!) ninetyandnine.com © Kathie Foster, 2000 -------- Kathie Foster is an Audiologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. When she's not looking in ears, her passion is Bible Quizzing; she has started both senior and junior quizzing teams from ground level in Springfield, MO and a senior team in Waukesha, WI. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in. |
|
|
