A couple years ago I finished a freelance job and was financially prepared to be unemployed, and really focus on seeking out a job I truly wanted. Three days after my last day of work, the transmission in my paid-off car slipped, pushing me into a financial situation I didn’t plan for. If you know anything about living in Los Angeles, you know that having a car is essential, unless everything you need is within a one mile radius.
I didn’t have the money for a new car and my bills (without digging into my “do not touch savings”), so I hustled to find a “tie me over until” job with the intention of quitting when a job I wanted presented itself. That 30 days of unemployment seemed extremely long, and during that time, I allowed my circumstances to dictate which parts of town I interviewed in and where I ultimately accepted a job.
How often do we allow our circumstances to be the driving force for our lives?
I accepted a job in a close location that allowed me to conveniently take the train to and from work. Naively, I believed I would be at this job no more than a few weeks, before going to a job I genuinely wanted. In reality, my next opportunity didn’t arrive until a year and four months later.
Sometimes we’re in a particular season to grow us up in a specific area. That season for me was growing my patience. Prior to this job, I thought I was a pretty patient person, but with each day that passed that I hadn’t received a call for an interview, and a job offer, I was tested to the extreme. Now I never blamed God for where I was, but I fully blamed myself because of opportunities I passed up that would have tested my faith in Him financially but would have also aligned me with where I wanted to be. While I waited for my next opportunity, I had to learn to counter my negative thoughts with His word, because it says “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”(Psalm 84:11). Was I walking uprightly? Nope. I was sitting on the bathroom floor crying and whining about when I could leave that job.
How we wait, can absolutely affect how long we wait.
About 8 months into the job, I was driving to work (in my new car) and “Wish You Well” by Mariah Carey came on my iPod. I had listened to this song a million times before, but that day was the first time I truly heard the ending. The last line of the song is “he that keep his mind stayed on the Lord, He will keep him in perfect peace.” That moment brought me to the realization that I didn’t want to be like the Israelites circling the desert for 40 years. I changed how I was waiting and remained faithful while my level of patience expanded, ultimately preparing me for my next test and job, which required nothing but patience and perseverance.
Whatever you’re waiting for, do it patiently, humbly and without complaint. Your blessing is already here!
His Plan, My Purpose 