Sometimes the very thorn in our side is connected to a blessing.
I had faith to move to Los Angeles without a job in the entertainment industry, but I felt it was smart to at least have a part time job so that I didn’t deplete my savings. I transferred from a Marshall’s department store in Pittsburgh, to one in LA, and worked as a cashier.
During my time there I met plenty of people who worked in the industry, but it was clear that a lot of them were not even close to where they wanted to be. These were the same people who told me I needed to work for free for a year before I would land a full time job. Internally I disagreed since I believed the unpaid internships I completed meant something. Another year though? These were the same people who gave me their business cards, but couldn’t be found anywhere online. These were also the same people who consistently told me how hard it was to get started, how hard it was to get into a top company, and also told me I needed to go searching for the top players and make sure I hung out in the same space they did to get noticed. These people were speaking from their own experiences and disappointments, and none of them knew/know the destiny God has for me. If it was easy, I wouldn’t need Him to move on my behalf.
This became a tiring routine, all the while my level of frustration and disdain for working at Marshall’s grew. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Marshall’s. I however hadn’t moved all the way across the country to work there and pay rent, when I could’ve stayed in Pittsburgh for free. This thorn in my side continued to grow, until I struck up a conversation with one of my customers who turned out to be a manager and former head agent at a top company. Notice how I didn’t have to go out of my way to insert myself into spaces God wasn’t taking me to. I began interning for him the following week, learning sides of the industry I had yet to be exposed to. I learned the industry lingo, how to navigate the go-to websites, and picked up key skills that I still utilize today. I interned for this man for a couple months before starting my first job 5 years ago, and he still offers to make calls on my behalf and be a reference for me when needed. The entertainment industry is built on relationships, and thank God He knows exactly which relationships we need, and how to make the connection. While I allowed the thorn in my side to capture some of my focus, the good Lord was blossoming the rose connected to it. We can’t be so focused on the pain we’re enduring, that we miss the blessing stemming from it.
How often do you allow your pain to diminish your patience, and distract you from the end goal?
His Plan, My Purpose 