After graduating from college, I was glad to leave my books and assignments behind and was itching to jump into all the new experiences awaiting me in the workplace. I had been a good student during my college years and I was sure that my foreign language proficiency and good work ethic would land me a challenging job in the field that I was the most interested in. When I did not receive any substantial offers after sending out a first batch of resumes, however, I realized that my new and exciting job wasn’t going to happen as soon as I’d expected.
Eventually, I was offered a job at a company with convenient hours and good working conditions.The commute would be time-consuming and expensive, and the salary wasn’t very good, but I dreaded the thought of spending any more time waiting, so though my family advised against it, I sent off an email confirming with my new employer that I would show up the following Monday.
As I clicked “send,” I realized that I was making a huge mistake. My parents’ words came back to me: “There’s a better job waiting for you somewhere. Working under these circumstances would just be a waste of your time and take you further away from your goals.” After further discussion and thought, I ended up backing out of that job just a few days before I was due to begin work.
Eventually, another lead opened near my home, with a better salary and better working hours. While it wasn’t my dream job, it was a good place to start gaining work experience. My parents had been right, and I saw the truth in the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait.”
On further reflection, I saw that my fear of waiting stemmed from a deeper lack of trust in God’s plan for my life and a desire to be in control. Greater confidence in God’s love for me and His perfect timing would have helped me to hold out for the best. Instead of rushing to avoid a waiting period, I should have accepted it gladly, knowing that God has special insights to teach me at every stage of life. I have memorized a Bible verse to remind me of this lesson: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”1
- Psalm 27:14 NLT↑