Exit 2008, Enter 2009

It's the start of a new year and two of my friends have lost their jobs. One of them just started with the company, in what seemed a very promising managerial role, barely six months ago if I've got my dates right. And here I am wishing I could move on to something else. I have a job. A great job - it's stable, it pays well, I've got my own reasonably large office and superiors and colleagues who trust and support me, it runs on a flexible hours plan, it may give me the opportunity to move more easily into other departments within the University. Perhaps with my poor attitude (whinging and complaining and murmuring in tow) and constant dreaming of vacations, one would think I'd be somewhat relieved or delighted if I lost my job since it would mean no more hour-and-a-half commutes each way everyday in peak hour traffic, and the time to do whatever I want. But, knowing myself, I'd stress out. I'd worry about our ability to manage our mortgage, I'd be anxious about being able to get another job and about the stability of that. The uncertainty of what direction to take and where things would lead me would definitely crowd my reason.

My two friends. I found out about their job loss through, one, Facebook and two, a blog post. Boy's post on how he has chosen to face this hurdle in life has both encouraged and challenged me. Would I make a similar choice after letting the truth of the matter sink in? Yes, I am jobless but is that the end of the world? Do I not have a God who has always provided and in the nick of time? Never too early, never too late. Would I choose to be defeated or see this as an opportunity to move on to better things? To move into where God wants to position me for action. For making a difference in the world. It would finally be time for me to rise up, to take on His call in a bigger, more distinct and specific way. Or it could be another stepping stone. A way to prepare me for the plans and purposes He has set out. Perhaps what needed to be accomplished in this one place has been done. And now it is time for a new form of training. A time to discover more about myself and to let Him work even deeper on building my character and inner strength, on my faith and perseverance so that I can stay the long haul. Boy, if you're reading this, I want to say your choice will inspire many so do not lose heart but think of all the possibilities that await you now. Be excited with anticipation of what God has up His sleeve. It'll be something good, no doubt.

I look back on the past 5 years since graduating and see that God's faithfulness is so evident. I was anxious as my final examinations approached. Questions of what I should do, of where I should go (stay here or return home, being the two logical options at the time) and where I was headed filled my thoughts instead of the theories and concepts in my textbooks. I called my mum and she told me not to worry, to give it to God and focus on what I had at hand, my papers. "Do this one well first. Do your best and God will do the rest". I recall mum saying the latter phrase at each examination block all throughout my student days. She was right. As always. So I did what I could with what I had. And slowly and surely, my next step became clear. I enrolled myself into a postgraduate diploma on human studies with the blessings of my parents (mum was initially hesitant as that meant more money needed to fund my tuition fees and lodging but after praying over it, she felt the peace of God and they were able to provide for me what was needed apart from the savings I had already accumulated). The one year at Christian Heritage College brought life lessons of a totally different kind, and I might write about this another day. But it was also a time of respite and reflection, "buying" me more time to really think about the next course of action and to actively look for appropriate work.

God really gave me His peace throughout my search for a permanent job. I asked that He would lead me to the right one. He knows what is best, I simply asked He made it really obvious so I didn't stuff up and land myself in a rut. As requested, God very graciously closed all the wrong doors and brought me to World Vision Australia who gave me a part time role while I was still studying. My first interview. My first real job ever! It worked around my class schedule perfectly and led to more hours and higher pay at the right time. I was with them for barely half a year when God gave me a position at The University of Queensland. It was everything I prayed specifically for and so much more! Given I hate public speaking and have performance anxiety, I was amazed to find that God gave me much confidence in my interviews with World Vision, another company (which offered a position I was not actually interested in but considered for experience sake) and UQ. It amazed me even more to find out after being accepted here that I was their second choice when they viewed our applications (addressing a selection criteria is so tedious!) but the first guy turned up somewhat drunk or on drugs despite wearing a very professional looking suit. He apparently spoke in gibberish and had eyes that looked glazed over even though it was 9 in the morning! This guy held a similar position in another University and was perfect for the role. I did not have his level of experience and yet they chose me simply because of how he presented himself at the interview. Now that is God's miracle for you, ladies and gentlemen.

I will have worked here for 4 years exactly on Valentine's Day. In these 4 years I was placed on a higher salary level as my supervisor fought for my position to be reclassified, and I was later promoted (though you have to reapply and attend an interview as part of the fair process - basically it was one of my other colleagues, some external person and me vying for it) into the role I am in now. Great faculty, great people. God has blessed me tremendously. I did not have to fear once since starting my diploma of what the next step was or if anyone would hire me. He gave me peace. And He gave me the very best. His favour and His blessings as demonstrations of His love and grace. So if ever things take a turn for the worse (seemingly), I hope I will continue to place my full trust and confidence in God and experience His great peace once again. Oh! If you're wondering what happened to the colleague who applied for this role, he got something he really wanted in another department and is still at this University campus. He was already in an identical role at the time we applied, he was just looking after a different set of programs so it didn't make any sense for our Manager to select him. The logistics would have been way too messy.

You can read more about God's blessings over my life in my testimony section - I wrote about this with regards to the Church Building Fund. Fab will have great testimonies to share too. When I was offered a permanent position at UQ, Fab found his first job and had his PR application approved so we had dinner in honour of the triple celebration. How he even got that first job is a miracle in itself too. I mean it pretty much just came out of nowhere and fell into his lap as he trusted God and placed a resume on some online job agency website. Simply wondrous!


Well, I'm currently working on reviewing my year in 2008 with some handy little questions I found on the Girlfriends of God website and will be putting together some goals for this new year. Will post about that later.