wordy Wednesday

 

Well, I had a whole other post planned, and then I accidentally deleted it, so I thought I'd share about how my new job came about, especially since today is my first day. And on that note, happy Wednesday, friends! 

Before Christmas, I went to a concert with two friends from church, Kim and Carol. We met for dinner, and while we waited on Carol, Kim and I were talking about lots of things in life, including work. She works in our school district here in town, at the elementary school I used to work at, and very offhandedly, she mentioned that I should consider being a substitute teacher in the district. Well, I never really gave it much thought after that night, and went about my way. December went on, Christmas came and went, but I had really started praying about some things in my morning quiet time. I don't remember exactly what I was praying for or why, but I recall having the best quality time with Jesus every morning, and I felt very inspired during that time, both in Bible reading and in writing. It's like words were pouring out of me, and though I did write some of that here, I wrote most of them elsewhere. I do remember writing words on this blog in a Currently post about this being the year I resolved to say yes to things that were new and that scared me—well, it turns out that was a bit prophetic, because at that point, I had no idea how things would turn out. I hadn't even interviewed at that point when I said those things.

Anyway, the week after Christmas, I remembered the conversation with Kim, and I knew immediately that the Lord had been changing my heart during that great time with Him in the mornings. All of a sudden, I knew that I wanted more than what I had right then at that moment. I loved my job at the attorney's office and I loved working with my best friend, but all of a sudden, it didn't feel like enough. I felt like a puzzle with some missing pieces. 

After praying about it practically all day long for two days in a row, I mentioned it to Todd on a Thursday night, December 29th, to be exact. I told him that I was thinking of applying for a job with our town's school district and he encouraged me to go for it, that he would support me in whatever I ended up doing. So, I submitted the application after listing my qualifications and the different types of jobs I'd be interested in. I checked so many boxes! I checked things like office assistant, front desk clerk, library assistant, SPED assistant, teaching assistant, etc. On the following Monday, January 2, the principal at a local elementary school (there are six here) had emailed me telling me they were interested in me and wanted an interview ASAP. So, on Thursday January 5th, I interviewed and hit it off splendidly with the five people I interviewed with. On Friday January 6th, I had an email from HR offering me the job of the temporary teaching assistant for reading intervention. Do you see why my head is still spinning a little? This all happened so quickly, particularly since it wasn't anything I was looking for. I feel like the Lord Himself created this job for me and then just put it right into my lap. 

I have dozens of God stories I could share, like about how He was drawing me away from my part time job and preparing me for something more. I had started eating healthier, if you remember, and had started feeling better than I've felt in years. I have more energy, I am never tired, and I feel like He changed my heart about wanting to work in a school setting again, after promising I never would again.

I accepted their offer, had all the necessary testing/background checking done, had my day of training and paperwork on January 19th (after my last day at the attorney's office on Tuesday the 17th), and today January 25 (not even ONE MONTH LATER), I am starting my new full time temporary job as a teaching assistant for reading intervention. I am filling in for someone who is out on medical leave. She may come back this semester, she may not, but I am there for the duration until she returns. I have no idea what will come next for me after she returns, but I figure that whatever happens, it's all in God's hands. I trust Him explicitly with my life and I know He led me to this point and won't leave me stranded now. My perfect and wonderful part time job eased me back into the working outside of home life, but now I am ready for more. I'm excited! I can't wait to update you next week...I do have my remaining posts scheduled to publish this week and next, but I'll update you one day in the next week or so. 

I said all of that to say that God is sovereign. He is trustworthy. His plan is far better than anything I could have dreamed up on my own. 

These beautiful words of Charles Spurgeon, the great theologian, ring true and have special meaning to me right now, needless to say. Thanks for reading about how my full time job that I wasn't looking for came about! Love to all. 

p.s. I'm adding this post to Shay's What's Up Wednesday, since it talks about what I've been up to the last month.