Day 5 - When you need a job..... another story

I am so thankful that I was reminded of this story today!  I really needed to remember that Jesus is in charge of the job search, and this testimony should help me hold on to that truth!

Well, I had been a part time secretary in a church for 7 years.  It was a good job while the kids were still in school.  It allowed me to work hours that matched their school hours.  As a matter of fact, I was able to start at 7:00am and be done by the time they got home from school.  But suddenly, Gwen was going to college and it was clear that I needed to find a full time job.  I had been looking for a few months, but had really not found anything.  It was a busy, busy time.  I was preparing to lead a mission trip with 12 youth to an Indian Reservation in Minnesota.  I also had a vacation planned to visit with my mom before that trip.  We were packing Gwen's stuff, and basically, things were just crazy.  One day I saw an ad in the local paper for a full time secretary at a church in a nearby town.  Here's the thing.  I was once a member of that church and both of my kids had been baptized there!  I had a bit of a history with them.  So I quickly dashed off a cover letter and faxed my resume to them. 
The next day I got a call for an interview.  Needless to say, I fit this into my very crazy schedule. 
After that interview I wasn't very confident that I would get a call back.  The person who interviewed me didn't seem very excited when she heard that I was a former member.  But the next day, I got that call to come in for a second interview.  I was leaving for Minnesota the next day. 

I put the interview out of my mind and left for a very crazy and hectic two and a half weeks.  It was sometime in the second week, that my mom's phone rang with a call for me!  They were offering me the job.  There was flexibility to give two weeks notice on my current job, and to also work the new job in the afternoon hours!  (They were desperate to have a new secretary.  They had lost 2 people in the last six months and had been using volunteers for most of the summer).  I gladly took this job. 
And it ended up that I actually stayed at this job for the next 12 years! 

Now here is the part of this story that makes it such a JESUS story!  During the first week I worked in this office, I noticed that the fax machine was not working.  I tried to get it to work, without success.  When I mentioned it to the person training me (who happened to be the person who interviewed me) she seemed so surprised.  It turns out that my resume was the only response they got to their ad for the job!  They had no idea that the fax machine had mysteriously broken AFTER my resume came through.  I am certain that Jesus has a way of making sure that the right person ends up in the right job.  Or should I say, that I got exactly the job that I was supposed to have. 

Yes, this is an encouragement to me since I am, once again, in a job search.  So I will continue to send out those resumes and trust that everything will align when it is the exact right job for me.  But as a reminder, I need to point out that I still need to do my work.  I have to keep on looking and keep on applying.  With that, I know that the doors will open when the time is exactly right. 

Jesus, thank you for showing me your hand in my job searches.  Holy Spirit, encourage all that are job searching right now.  Jesus  you are willing to guide and direct us when we ask.  Thank you for your care and concern for every detail of our day to day life.   Jesus, thank you that you will use everything - even Fax machines to accomplish your plan for us!  And, thank you, once again, for the encouragement to share these stories.  Amen

What happens when you don't ask.....

Since the oasis yesterday, I've been thinking about the ways that I find "rest".  I am so thankful that Jesus sometimes just brings me rest, even when I am not looking for it!  That was certainly true on Friday.  And the weekends are usually a time of rest for me - away from my job.  But yesterday did not really feel like "rest".  Here's what happened.  I saw some drapes advertised that seemed to be perfect for our living room.  We have two patio doors and it is difficult to find drapes that work well.  We need thermal insulation to help in the winter and we also need to be able to access the doors!  I used to have "Patio Panels" on those doors, but they have not been available recently. So, early on Saturday, we went to the store and purchased those drapes.  I settled for a darker color than I really wanted because they did not have the beige that I wanted in stock.  After getting the drapes home, I discovered that my current curtain roads would not work.  So, off we went to another store to purchase new curtain rods.  Once again, I am thankful that Ken could take down the old rods and get the new rods installed (I really don't understand those wall anchor things!)  So we then put up the first set of drapes.  As we stood back to look at them, it was clear that there was a problem!  First of all the left panel was at least 2" longer than the right panel.  And that same left panel also had an interesting "pattern" that showed up when the light came through the panel.  So, we decided this pair of drapes must just be defective.  Back into the car and another trip to the store to exchange the drapes.  I decided to go to a different location in the hopes that we could get the lighter color.  So, after some lengthy discussion, we were finally able to exchange both the "defective" pair and also the unopened pair for the beige color that I had originally wanted.  Success! Or so I thought.  Once at home, we opened the first package of beige drapes, put them on the rods, and guess what.  The right panel had the same weird pattern as the last set.  At this point we decided that these drapes were not worth the trouble.  We took down the panels AND the new rod.  Packaged up everything and realized that the entire day was gone.  NOT a day of rest.  Then, this morning, we went back to those stores and returned everything.   WOW!  The only good thing about the day was that I went on Amazon and actually found patio panels!  So they are on order and should be delivered next week.  Hopefully, we will be able to use our existing rods. 

For me, the ocean represents the ultimate rest place.  I don't know what it is about the ocean, but my whole body just relaxes when I get close to the ocean. (I am not helping my case to remain in the Chicago area when we retire!  Ken wants to move south and I want to stay close to the kids and grand kids.)  But I digress here.  Yesterday I did not rest, but today I am being more aware of my great need to rest.  So I have been spending most of today, letting myself rest. And while resting today, I was thinking about my "non-rest" of yesterday.  It was a picture of what my life is often like.  I run here and there, trying to get something that I THINK is exactly what I need.  I never stopped and asked Jesus if this was the right thing to purchase.  I mean, it was just some drapes for the living room, right?  But, had I stopped and let the Holy Spirit speak to me, I bet that I would have thought to check out Amazon BEFORE we ran back and forth and back and forth.  Today, I took the time to listen on even the little things, and it has been a much more restful day.  So my encouragement to all reading this blog today, is to remember to stop and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, even on the little things.  It really does make for a more relaxed day. 

Jesus, thanks for the reminder that you have provided the guidance that we need through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Thank you Holy Spirit that you are always willing to guide and direct us - even in the small things in our life.  What a wonderful gift this is. Thanks for the reminder that exactly what I needed for my living room was available on Amazon.   And Jesus, thank you for being so patient with me, as I am learning and re-learning to let you guide my entire life.  Help everyone reading this today, to be willing to ask for help in every decision.  Thank you for supernatural rest.  Amen