Faith in Unemployment

My darling wife (who is funnier than me) just got a job. It is the one God had reserved for her. I say that with confidence, I'm not sure she would -yet. Faith is hard to have confidence in when you are using it. But with distance, and wisdom anyone can look back and see times and places where faith in God pushed us through.

As her husband I had a unique vantage point that made me admire the things God was doing to her faith during her job search.

1. She had no desire to search for a job coming off of a summer long day camp as a organizer. Yet by the grace of God she applied to all the tutoring and teaching positions she could find. This kind of perseverance is faith filled the stuff good character is made of. We prayed for each good lead.
2. After a few interviews she opened up her search to include administrative work, day cares and nanny work. Lindsey prayed insisting that it would be "a job God would want her at." -Not what she envisioned.
3. In addition to the search, she did her three hour tutoring job so we could make ends meet. Still though, I was riddled with anxiety and money woes. I didn't tell her because I knew she was doing her best to find work.

This was about the time when the roof caved in. Lindsey stopped searching and said "Last year I prayed to work at this school, its the only one I want to work at. There's nothing else out here for me." She said this on the faith of her prayers. It wasn't a negative attitude, or admitting defeat. So I went along with it. Telling myself that we are trusting this strategy as God's children, dependent on Him... The new plan was to trust, be filled with peace, sit back and wait for that one school to jump out at us.

4. While tutoring, she remembered that last year she filed paperwork to substitute teach at the school where the tutoring program was held. Last year we were praying she would find a job there because it was so close to our home.
5. So Lindsey inquired about the possibility subbing this fall even though she never got called to substitute teach last year.
6. Within two days, Lindsey was substitute teaching at that school and doing the after school tutoring program also. She was answering their call to sub nearly every day.
7. I thought subbing for a school year was going to be that answer to prayer was. But lo and behold, last week they interviewed her for a position that opened up.
8. The offer was to work almost exclusively with one student with autism, it's a teacher's aide position with full benefits.
9. Less than ten day after this decision to stop looking, Lindsey is fully employed an confident in her abilities to succeed.
10. God is thanked, again and again.

So praise the living God who provoked us to trust and know that something good, something just right is within His reach. I can't get over how opposite the world this job search became.