Checking In, Part Two

I was literally at my wit’s end. Having done ALL the things I was supposed to do, I was beginning to suspect that I would never work again, and never be happy again. Just imagine, for a moment, how you would feel after:

Spending hours every day sending resumes and cover letters via computer or fax to businesses you had either found on your own , or been referred to.

Spending time and gas money driving to every business you could locate, in a hundred mile radius, to apply for whatever position might be available, often for a lesser wage than you had previously earned.

Keeping track of your progress, or lack of it, you realize that you have, in just under two years, applied for three hundred and fifteen jobs, emailed more than four hundred resumes and cover letters, been on fifty-one interviews, attended six job fairs, and had taken two classes to improve your skills. You further realize that during this same time, you have had your vehicle break down twice, you have had to replace your water heater, your dryer, your dish washer.

During this same time period, you leave the worship team you used to love, and the church you used to love…because you can’t stand the place any more. You become one of those people you used to despise…a “church dater”. You watch as your father, diagnosed with Alzheimers several years ago, suddenly begins the rapid downhill spiral into oblivion. You watch as your brother, a nice christian man with his own family, cuts himself off from you and his parents, leaving you and only you to assist your elderly parents in each and every way they might need assistance. He can’t be bothered to help out, not even a little bit.

Then…you get this email. It’s from the state of Oregon. Now since you receive unemployment insurance from these people, you can’t ignore this email. You read the email, and it is telling you about a job. This job pays very well, and you have the skills necessary to be successful at it. You follow the directions contained in the email, knowing in the back of your mind that this is the 316th job you have applied for, and finding it very hard to get even a little excited about it.

The application leads to a phone interview, which goes very well. The phone interview leads to an in-person interview, which goes even better. Two weeks after the interview, I get a phone call, and…a job offer!

Now, you need to know that throughout this entire process, I KNEW that God was in control. You can be sure that I had many questions, many doubts, many sleepless nights, and probably more than my share of worries. Deep down, though…I knew that God “had my back”.

Whats my proof?

When I return to work, on November 24th, I will go back with a raise, better hours, better benefits, AND I will be starting the new job EXACTLY two years TO THE DAY that I was laid off from the old one! God didn’t just provide me with a job, He provided me with my DREAM job!

Smitty