College

Tea of the Day: Peppermint (Herbal, Hot)

Song of the Day: Blue Skies by Ella Fitzgerald

As I sit here at my desk with my freshly brewed cup of peppermint tea, I think about how I got to this point. How on earth did I end up living practically on my own, in a humble apartment in Southern California, more than 400 miles away from where I grew up?

My entire life, everyone was always telling me how important it is to get a college degree (and I am sure I am not the only one)... how it will open up a substantial amount opportunities, how there will be plenty of job options, how much better off I will be in life. Well, I graduated from Biola with a B.M. in Music Education eight months ago, and even finished my teaching credential two months ago. Do I have a full time job? No. Is there hope for a full time job in the near future? Hardly.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that I regret working incredibly hard for the last five years to get this degree, or that college degrees in general are not in any way valuable. I just find it ironic that here I am, five years and 165 units later, and I have resorted to looking for daycare jobs like I was doing during high school! (Not that there is anything wrong with daycare.) The funny part is that I, a California-credentialed and CPR-certified teacher, have not received a single response from any of my daycare applications!

I have a theory about all of this, though. Well, not so much a theory as a word of truth: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." ~ Romans 8:28 (NIV)

One of my most fervent prayers is that God's will be done in my life, whatever that may be. So, if I have such trouble getting daycare jobs, that is not what I am supposed to be doing with my life. If I apply and interview for full time teaching positions, and do not get offered the job, then I am not meant to have it. Now, of course, there is a great deal of responsibility on my part to pursue after things. I can't just sit back in my comfortable chair and wait for God to toss a job into my lap. That would be foolish.

However, I do prayerfully consider every major decision that I make. And that makes all the difference. Even though things may not be working out exactly as I had imagined in my life right now, I take immense comfort in the fact that God is sovereign and His plan for my life is much better than anything I could possibly imagine for myself. So, I will be diligent with the time that I have been given and patiently wait for whatever it is that God has in store for me next.

It is a strange feeling to reach the end of five years of careful planning and to look out into the future without the faintest idea of what comes next. It is uniquely exciting at the same time. Whatever it is, I will make sure that I am ready for it. In the meantime, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:14 (NIV).

I am determined not to waste my days worrying about what will happen to me or how I am going to pay for next month's rent. God is faithful and He always provides for His children in even the most desperate and painful situations, so there can only be good things ahead!

"Blue days, all of them gone; nothing but blue skies from now on." ~ Ella Fitzgerald