Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
We hear this verse so often, that it has almost become cliché. You find it printed on calendars, pens and dish towels. It is repeated often when it is “your path”. You don't hear it so often when it is “My path.”
With Michael retiring from the Air Force in just a few months, we have had to make some quick decisions without a lot of information, and it is really just starting. Michael has been applying for jobs left and right. He wants to continue working for the government, so that means his applications have been all over the US. The problem with applying all over the US is that you are applying ALL over the US. Which means even more decisions.
Our first big decision came just before Christmas with a job offer in Alaska. Prior to this he has been too far out from actual retirement for a position to be held for him. Now we had to face the reality of moving about as far away from our family as physically possible and still be in the same country. On the plus side the pay was right, it would get his foot in the door for a government job, and we could leisurely explore a beautiful state. On the negative side, our families would be far away, and it would not be a quick car ride to get to them if we needed to, and our almost 18 year old son pretty much insisted he would not go to Alaska—whether that would hold true in actuality depended on his ability to...I don't know...get a JOB! Another big negative...We had only ½ of a day to make a decision. That is not a lot of time to decide to uproot your entire family and move several thousand miles away to an area that you are not at familiar with. After a brief time in prayer and a walk or two around the block we decided to turn down the position.
After that Michael only applied for jobs in areas we would actually be willing to move to. This brings us to the next few applications Las Vegas, Charleston, San Antonio and Columbus, MS. We were really hoping for Charleston or Columbus, preferably Columbus. It would be almost perfect, and when I reasoned it out in my head it made perfect sense. It was closer to my cousin's house. The housing was relatively inexpensive, same pay as the Alaska job, and it was a position that Michael would have some authority in. See? Just right. You know other than Moody or Vandenberg, but they don't have openings right now.
Enter: the week before last. Michael gets an email that the positions in San Antonio and Columbus have closed out and his application was forwarded to the hiring authority. On Wednesday Brendan goes to youth group, and they do a talk about Proverbs 3: 5-6. Okay, nothing unusual. No flags here. Then comes Thursday...starting to do homework for Beth Moore's Esther study that I am doing, before I start I start thinking about the 2 applications that have been forwarded. What if he was offered the job in San Antonio, but the job in Mississippi was still pending? How would we decide whether to take the job or not? We don't want to keep turn down work in this economy hoping for the “perfect job”.
So, I decided to pray that if the Mississippi job was the right job for our family that they would contact Michael first. Then “that the right job would contact us soon. Maybe even this morning.” I went on to pray that I would be open to where God wants us to be. This is not a prayer to be taken lightly, and I didn't. I knew going into it that I was opening myself up to a result that I did not necessarily want.
Not 10 minutes later Michael calls. It turns out that he asked his boss if he would call the person hiring in Mississippi to put in a word for him. His response? Sure I could do that, but last night I was called by the person hiring in South Dakota, and he wants to hire you. There is a bit of back story to this. Ever since Michael was stationed in South Dakota he has wanted to go back. While we were there people were talking about retiring. Now, 5 years later someone is retiring, and retiring right when Michael is looking for a job.
So, leaning on my understanding, Mississippi is perfect, but apparently God has other plans. More evidence? The Michael's application was forwarded to the Charleston job and the same day someone else was selected. That means they already had someone in mind when they put out the job announcement—not entirely uncommon, and...we have heard nothing from Mississippi or San Antonio, and to top it all off, the Las Vegas job was canceled all together. Oh, the job that was supposed to open up here in January? Rumor has it the position will not be filled.
Could I be reading the situation totally wrong? Of course, but at this point in time it appears that all roads lead to South Dakota. Hmmm...take that Rome.
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