Reason #643

As if getting a new job and getting married wasn’t enough change for me this year, I am about to go through yet another big change. I have to give you a little back story beforehand so you’ll see the irony, or divine nature, of this whole situation.

 

I used to blog about my job all the time, and it’s no secret that I loved what I did. Well, in January of 2012 I felt the need for change. The truth is, I thought it would be the best thing for me. Plus, I really craved a little isolation because I had to put on this happy hostess mask everyday and it was hard. I thought solitude would be a good thing, plus a pay raise would be most helpful, so I interviewed for an internal audit position. I was offered the job, and all of the sudden I was torn about whether or not to take it. I took the weekend to think and pray about it, and I decided that because I didn’t have a peace about it, I didn’t need to take it. I turned down the job, and a few weeks later we found out the bank was being bought out.

 

Fast forward to the end of 2012, and I made the decision to leave the bank. It was definitely a difficult decision, but I realized my job was never going to be what it once was. My co-worker had her baby, and I felt like she would make the decision to be a stay at home mom. That gave me the push I needed to step out. I interviewed for the job I currently have now to get my foot in the door. If you’ve ever looked for a bank job in Lubbock, you know they are hard to come by. During my first week, we took a tour to meet all of our co-workers and I ran into the lady who was the audit manager at ASB. The very one who offered me the job at the start of the year. I was glad to see someone I knew, and I was glad that she had found a place, too. A few months later, she was moved over to the branch I work at and I began to see her more often. One morning in August, I was fixing coffee in the break room. She came in and we began to talk about how things were going. She asked me a few questions about my job, about my thoughts, and then she proceeded to tell me that she was going to be hiring an auditor before the year was over.

 

My heart skipped a beat, and I was somewhat in shock about this news. Mostly, I was surprised that she wanted me to know early on. And because I know I am impatient, and because I love a new challenge, I figured it was best to think long and hard about it. I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision, not a rash decision, by potentially applying for this job. I made lists of pros and cons. I weighed the options. I tried to think long term. I tried to think about what would be the wisest path to take. And after I talked to everyone, including my manager, I knew what I needed to do.

 

I had an interview last week on Thursday. I don’t like to tell people these things beforehand because there’s nothing worse than eating crow or a slice of humble pie. I prefer to surprise people with good news rather than speak presumptuously and have to be proven wrong.  And so I didn’t really tell anyone I was interviewing because I wasn’t sure things would work out. There are a lot of really smart, qualified, talented people in this world, you know. And so after I interviewed, I decided I’d just not worry about it. I was going to trust that the Lord would either keep me where I am if He wanted me there, or He’d move me if He wanted me elsewhere. Because the truth is, I don’t know what lies ahead. I don’t know what He has in store, and so I don’t want to selfishly move in the wrong direction. I didn’t hear anything on Friday, or Monday, or Tuesday.

 

I got a call late yesterday afternoon. The job was offered, and I accepted it. And so in three weeks, I will have a new job. I really did not see this one coming, and I can’t help but think how divinely orchestrated this is. Because not many people have the chance to interview for a job before they interview for the job. Had I not applied for the audit position in 2012, the auditor wouldn’t have had any idea that I was qualified much less even told me about it. And don’t you think it’s a little ironic that we both ended up at the same bank? It’s to intentional to be ironic if you ask me. These things don’t just happen by chance.

 

God has spent the last 10 months teaching me a lot. A lot about myself and about my perceptions. About hard work and about humbling work. God has taught me about servant hood and about patience. About diligence and obedience. Because for so long, I’ve had these ideas about where I need to be and what I need to be doing. But I am beginning to understand that the Lord is pulling me in a different direction. He continues to draw me to the world of finance for some reason even though I’ve tried to find ways to get myself elsewhere. Why? I don’t know. I honestly have no clue. But I figure it’s wisest to trust the Lord, to trust where He keeps redirecting me, rather than striving to attempt to achieve my own ideas. Because I know the Lord has a plan for my life. He knows where He’s leading me, and I just praise Him for this new opportunity. It came at just the right time!

 

#643 - For new opportunities at the right time.

 

"So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God." - Ecclesiastes 2:24