I had many people try to talk me out of accepting a job in this small town. I suppose, I was on the fast track going somewhere (today, I am not even sure where that somewhere was!) I had a very strong impression to put in for this job when it came open. I always try to follow the strong impressions! I was given great counsel once by a loving bishop to keep a paper and pencil by the bed. He explained that the spirit often impresses us the most when we are quiet and can listen. He counseled me to write down what I felt in those quiet moments in the morning or evening. So, that is what I have done. It is amazing the things that you can learn at O'dark thirty in the morning.
When a job is posted, you have to put in a very detailed request for the position. It identifies your strengths and what you can bring to the position. It is very time consuming to get it all done and there is usually a two week deadline to get everything into HR. It can be pretty daunting when you are being overwhelmed with everything else. I did not even see the posting until it had been out for a week.
My husband and I talked it over and he wanted me to put in for it. The little town is up in the mountains of Arizona. The community is nestled in the Pine trees, quite a ways from other communities. We had been up there before, for the yearly fireworks desplay over the forth of July weekend. As a matter of fact, we used to try and come up every year because it was cooler and the sky is so black that the firworks look amazing!
I was so afraid that they would tell me I was over qualified. I had been managing up to 125 people at work, and this job was one where I would only be managing 4, but I would be completely in charge and involved in the community. We prayed and fasted about it, and I woke up one morning with the strongest feeling of peace and certainty. I knew that I was supposed to put in for it. I did all the paperwork, and waited, and waited, and waited. I also put in for other jobs during that time, trusting that Heavenly Father would lead me in the direction that I needed to go.
There was another job that came open only one mile from my house. I thought that I really wanted that job. It would be a promotion, a pay raise, and it would be so close to my house that I might even be able to spend more time with my family. I prayed so hard for that job (it had been over three months waiting for the other one and I was afraid that they had canceled the position). I never had any feelings about it one way or the other, but I was hoping that it would work out. I was so sad when I found out that I did not get it. The manager who did not hire me called me on the phone and said that for some reason she did not know, she felt like I was not suppose to have that job (she is also a very religious woman but does not usually, openly talk about it, however she knew that we shared the same beliefs, so she shared her impressions with me). Since two of us were equally qualified, she chose the other woman over me. I was really pretty sad about it. I actually really wanted to work with that manager. I still did not know what I was supposed to do. I found that it is easy to forget the certainty of a moment when you wait such a long time before the confirmation.
The very next day, I received the news that I was approved for the original job in a small town three hours away from home. There were so many things to be done! We had to sell the house, buy a house, move the kids. My husband was unemployeed for three years, but this move is the very best thing we have ever done. We are happy here. We fit in, we belong, we love it.
And I am STILL a busy woman!
What is amazing to me is how the Lord guides you in all you need when it is the right thing to do. No one else was selling their homes, but ours sold. I had some people come into my office and offer me their house for a price I would have had a hard time turning down. I went and looked at the house and I fell in love with it. It was a price we could afford in a neighborhood that I liked. (Pretty much all the neighborhoods up here are the same). My kids we able to start over up here and make friends. The community is a good one. I can still not believe how everything clicked together when we needed it to.
I have discovered that sometimes, the Lord does not want you on the fast track. Sometimes, you just need to be willing to listen and trust in His guidance. He knows what you need.
I too was on the fast track. My husband and I were working so hard we never saw each other. It was like we were running full speed on a treadmill that was not taking us anywhere that was really important. We too were guided to a small town and learned to slow down.I am so grateful that God helped us get back on the right track. It took 5 years of praying for a change but it all fell into place when it was meant to be. You said it so good---He knows what you need.
ReplyDeleteIt's not always easy to do what you feel prompted to do, especially when others tell you it doesn't make sense. But it's amazing how Heavenly Father starts putting things into place so far in advance so that it is possible to do whatever it is He knows is best for us.
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