Confessions of a Chatty Girl: Things don't always go according to plan

Oh, who am I kidding things never go according plan!  For better or for the perceivable worse, God never does what you expect Him to do.  That has been made obvious in my life time and time again.

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that my story has taken a lot of unexpected turns.  Just in the past two years of having this blog you have seen the ups and downs of my life not going according to my plans.  From getting turned down for the RUF internship to breakups to awesome jobs to now planning a wedding. 

Two weeks ago I got the awesome news that my fiance got a promotion at his job!  I am a very proud fiancee and no mistake!  The same day just two hours later my boss comes into my office and breaks the news that he has been fired from his position as in house architect for the big Texas firm we both worked for and as we were a package deal, he could no longer afford to keep me and I would be jobless by the end of the week.  I felt like I had just been sucker punched in the stomach.  This job was the craziest, best paying, most stressful, most interesting, most intense job I had ever had.  And in a matter of seconds it was gone.  I have rent to pay, I have things to do, most importantly I have a wedding to pay for! 

Enter my incredible future husband . . . I always knew that I was going to need someone who could be calm when I am freaking out, someone to remind me that God is still in control and He will take care of us.  I think that I am marrying one of the most calm men I could possibly find.  In the midst of my gasps and tears he soothed me and reminded me that for starters God knows everything that happened and He is not going to dessert me in this and secondly that I was not alone having to figure this all out.  "Between God and me, we will take care of you."  

I am so blessed.  Even though life doesn't go according to my plan, even though what seems perfect doesn't work out in the end, even though I get blind sided by new developments that God brings into my life.  God knows what is going on.  God isn't going to drop me off in the middle of no where with no direction.  He has gotten me this far.  All I have to do is go back and reread the post from the past 2 years to see that!  So while I have moments of freaking out and questioning what He was thinking I know from experience that He is using this.  No matter what it is He is using it.  

Please be praying for me though these ups and downs.  As I job hunt; as I plan this wedding; as I learn to adapt to God's plans and as I learn to let go of my own will.  I don't know what is in store for me in the future and if I am being honest that scares the living daylights out of me some days.  So be praying for me that I will trust in Him and not be anxious for anything and that I would cast my cares on the Father.  

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Phil. 4:4-7

SWF seeking GOD: "Adultolescents"

A Church-Based Hope for “Adultolescents”

The link above is to an article by John Piper, a pastor out in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He is author of over 30 books, and most famously for "Desiring God".

In Sunday school last week the leader got up and read this article to the class of college students and 20-somethings.  With every sentence I was more convicted and inspired.  Ladies, raise your hand if you have ever heard your girlfriend or yourself say, "What has happened to the men out there? Why aren't they stepping up?" Raise your hand if you ever heard  the phrase "man-child"?  Raise your hand if you or anyone you know stay in school year after year either not graduating or adding a string of letters to their name without much direction, rhyme or reason. Raise your hand if you or someone you know has turned down a job because it didn't give you enough free time to "do your own thing." Raise your hand if you or someone you know has said "Why move out of my parents house?  My mom cooks, cleans, does my laundry, and it's all free?"  Raise your hand if you ever said to yourself "I am way to young to get married! I just graduated college!" Raise your hand if you ever balked at a friend or acquaintance when you discovered they are engaged to be married before the "sensible" age of 25+?  Raise your hand if you ever told that same person that they had lost their mind and they were throwing their life away by getting married so young?  Is your hand raised?  Because mine is.

Why are guys still living at home with their parents well into their 20s?  Why are people staying in college longer?  Why are we constantly needing "more time"?  Why do we keep putting off adulthood?  I must admit that this is a pet-peeve of mine.  Why is society pressuring us to stay children?  Why do we constantly hear grown-ups tell us, "You have all the time in the world!" "Enjoy your freedom!" "Live a little!" "Don't throw away all this opportunity!"  This is usually in response to engagement and birth announcements.  This is in response to "No, I am not going to grad-school."  This is the retort for pretty much anytime someone younger that 30 says they are ready to be settled in a job, a relationship, a town, a life.

I have to admit that I have often fallen right into that reaction.  Either out of habit or I am ashamed to say peer-pressure.  I was just hanging out with a friend of mine from college a few days ago.  We were in Panera.  She was studying and I was doing some work.  There were 2 ladies behind us and the younger of the 2 was giving a very long detailed and audible story of how she met her fiance.  The woman said she was 21.  At that announcement my friend almost spewed her sweet tea.  After they left, with wide eyes my friend said to me, "Can you believe that?! She is getting married and she is only 21!"  I wasn't very shocked because I am "only" 21 and I could totally see myself married (I have no idea to whom, but still I don't consider myself to young for the institution.) My friend continued, "I am 23 and I am not trying to get married!  I am fine! I have stuff I want to do!"  My only surprise at the stranger's story was that the woman said that she had met her fiance online and I was rather surprised that a 21 had thought it necessary to take charge like that so young and that she had only known her fiance for a few months.  But I did not think it inappropriate for her to make that powerful of a commitment at her age and really it wasn't any of my business, after all I was only eavesdropping.  But my friend was very adamant.

That got me to thinking.  Why is it so taboo now to get married before you graduate college or before you are 25?  I am not saying that you should all run out and get married to the first guy you find or that you are an old maid because you are not married by now.  Marriage is only one of the steps a person takes along the road of life and into adulthood.

What does all this "adultolescents" boil down too?  Selfishness and fear.  We are afraid to grow-up.  We are to self-absorbed to become adults.  We don't want to take on adult responsibilities because they aren't fun.  Do you realize that only a few decades ago, in your parents and grandparents era 18 year old men were working full-time at a job that they would most likely not leave unless fired?  An 18 year old woman was most likely engaged to be married and planning her life with her husband.  The average 21 year old man and woman already had a child or 2.  The average 20-something was a stable and settled member of society?

Does the Proverbs 31 woman shrink from responsibility?  Does she tell her husband and children "I am way to young to be dealing with all of your problems?" Does she long for the days when she could sleep in all day long and all she had to worry about was her physics exam next week?  No.  What are you afraid of?  Real life is coming whether you like it or not and we are called to be mature about it.  What is the greatest sign of maturity?  Being others-minded.  Is that something that you have to wait until after school to acquire?  Is that something that you need to be 25+ to attain?  Shoot, other-mindedness is something that a 12 year old can possess.  Maybe you are mature.  Maybe you realized you are not.  

“Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” 1 Corinthians 14:20.  

"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." 1 Corinthians 13:11

If you feel that the life that God has called you to means that you require more schooling than by all means do not take this as advice against that.  Or if you are single and feel that God has legitimately called you to that life then please do not take this as an encouragement to ignore God's call.  If you are unable to move out of your parent's home because of a disability then do not take this as a sign of failure or disobedience.  But if you are using schooling or living with your parents or putting off marriage because you are afraid of real life or don't think you are "ready" to be an adult.  I hope that Piper's article will make you think and really pray and do some self-examination and that it will inspire and convict you just as it has me!  

TTFN~
REE

Confessions of a Chatty Girl: Finale - Good Things

Monday evening I was checking my email and I saw that I had 2 emails from people I didn't recognize.  One ended up being from Jenny.  She explained that she had taken my card with her to work that morning meaning to email the choir director with all of my information when she noticed that I had "AutoCAD drafter" on my card.  This had gotten her thinking about a friend of hers that goes to North Shore who had sent out a church wide email asking for people to be on the look out for anyone with architectural AutoCAD experience he could hire as a drafter for his budding architectural firm.  She had taken the liberty of sending him my information and she wanted to let me know and to send me his as well in case I was interested in the position.  As soon as I read that email I was ecstatic!  I was in the process of responding to her when I remembered there was another email awaiting me in my inbox.  I checked back and it turns out that before I even had a chance to email Jenny or the architect to ask for more information, I had an email from him (Larry) asking for an interview as soon as possible.  I was so excited I could barely type any responses.  I emailed Larry back letting him know that I was available for an interview whenever he was free and I was really excited about the possibility.  I then emailed Jenny and thanked her profusely.

The next day Larry had responded to my email and he wanted me to call him as soon as I could for a phone interview.  I called him right away and the phone interview went great!  I was so excited at the possibility of getting in on the ground floor of something like this.  We set up an in-person interview for that Friday.  

(Side note: Background check still hadn't gone through, we are now going on 3 weeks of waiting).

Friday rolled around and I was off to my interview.  We met at his house and had a relaxing interview that went fantastic.  At one point he asked me the question of where do I see myself in 5 years.  This question always makes me a little nervous in job interviews.  I am not a career minded person.  I enjoy what I do but I see it more as a way to pay the bills not to become a huge executive of some major company.  I never know how interviewers will react when I tell them my deepest prayer is to one day be a wife and mom.  But I decided to bite the bullet and be completely open and honest.  I said, "To be honest, I am not a career person.  I can see myself doing this for the next 5 years but my heart's desire is to one day, Lord willing, be a wife and a mom.  This is what I have talent and experience in and what pays the bills until that days comes, if it ever does."  There was a moments pause and then he said, "You know I really respect that.  I am the farthest thing from a male chauvinist.  You can go ask my wife.  But I feel like women who try to be the leaders of huge companies or are all about their career and then try to have families just confuses things.  So I really respect you for that."  And that was like God just smiled at me and gave me the thumbs up.  The interview continued for a while longer and went back to talking business.  I left with hope in my heart and excited to hear from him.  He said that he would be in touch with me in the next few days.  

A few days later I had yet to hear from him and I began to feel deja vu.  I checked my email on Thursday afternoon and I had an email from him.  He was trying to get a hold of me but my phone was not connecting with the call for some reason.  I gave him an alternate number and responded to his email letting him know that I would keep my phone on me all evening.  I kept my phone with me as I said but as the evening wore on I thought I wouldn't hear from him until the next day.  Suddenly, at 8:30pm my phone rings and it is him.  "I have thought about it and I think I want to hire you if you are still interested."  I tried to sound as calm as possible as I was dancing around my room.  I was hired for an amazing position that is perfect for me at the ground floor of a budding firm making well over twice what I was making at Liberty!  

So that is where I have been working for the past 2 weeks.  And may I say that I LOVE MY JOB!  I get to hang out with some cool people and design and draw all day long.  It's still a little crazy at times being the ground floor and all.  I work up on the mountain literally in Larry's basement with him and another drafter and some days when it rains I have to bail out our office of water (true story).  And there are days when I work 11+ hours but it is an adventure and I am trusting God to keep it going!  

I am amazed and dumbfounded daily at God's gift.  He couldn't have handcrafted a better position for me.  After all of the disappointments and frustrations.  This is what he had for me this whole time.  He had been orchestrating every piece of this puzzle to fit just perfectly to provide me with this job when I needed it the most.  The Father truly does delight in given his children good things.  The night I got hired I just sat in my bed after everyone had gone to sleep and wept with joy and humble gratitude!  I couldn't express my thankfulness enough!  That night it was a little piece of heaven as I rejoiced in pure unadulterated thankfulness and joy and basked under God's smile of "I told you to trust me."  I could almost hear him laugh at my excitement and rejoice with me.

And thus ends the job hunting saga for me.  So thank you all for praying with and for me in the crazy journey that to tell the truth is only just beginning!  Keep praying, as this is the ground floor, there is still some risk involved as we are just now getting off the ground.  Work keeps coming praise the Lord and I am definitely staying busy.  I really feel God's hand on this whole thing and I will continue by his grace to trust in him for my daily bread.  To him be all glory, honor, and praise for the great works he has done!

TTFN!

REE

P.S. And do you know, that furniture place called me during the middle of my 1st week with Larry to tell me that I had a clear background check and that I needed to call them soon so they could get me started ASAP.  Call me rude, but I waited a few days to email them back to let them know I had excepted a better offer :)

Confessions of a Chatty Girl - Part 2: God's got something up his sleeve

Waiting on my background check continued.  I wasn't incredibly surprised because I knew that background checks can take a while and the company wanting to hire me didn't really strike me as a business that was really on top of things.  I hate to sound prejudice but you can only expect so much from people who wear cargo shorts to work everyday (Just kidding!).  So I continued sending out emails, praying, and holding on to any hope that God threw my way.

I had received a tip from a colleague back in Lynchburg about a company in the area he knew of that was in the office furniture business, something that I had experience with at Liberty.  So I began more actively following that lead.  The contact responded to my email and wanted to meet with me, even though at the moment he didn't think he would have anything solid to offer me.  I went to the interview praying that he would take one look at me and my resume and hire me on the spot.  Well, that wasn't in God's plans because I walked out of the interview without a job.  But I would not be dismayed because I did, however, get an invitation to a reception he was having for the architectural and design community in Chattanooga to celebrate some new fangled office chair or some such nonsense.  I was excited for the opportunity to network and hopefully get my name out there.  Who knows maybe someone at the reception will take one look at me and my resume and hire me.  Yes, I am that optimistic.  As the day of the reception got closer I began thinking that I should probably have business cards to take with me to hand out.  God tapped into my inner kid wanting playing grownup to light a fire under me to get those cards made.  I set about putting a design together (FYI: VistaPrint is the way to go!)  With business cards in hand, I headed to the reception hopeful and praying the whole way.  I met a few people and even got my cards in the hands of a couple.  There was no offer that night, surprise surprise, but I left praying that my cards would do some work for me.  Well, my cards decided to be lazy that week.  I got diddly-squat from them.  I continued to pray.  I was thankful I at least had a job in the works even though I wasn't sure if I could rock the cargo short look.  It made the rejection and the disappointment and waiting just a little more bearable.  

During this time, I really began to get involved at North Shore.  I had started going to the small group in my area and began to really get to know some of the dear people there.  Before I go any further I would like to say that what I am about to tell you may seem very random.  I promise this all has a point that will be made clear, I am not getting off on a rabbit trail and I must share things this way because it is the best way I know to highlight God's all encompassing plan and providence and to give him all the glory for his intricate will that he sometimes reveals.  

Now as I was saying... 

One Sunday I was sitting behind a couple that I had yet to meet.  After we had sung a few songs the woman turned around during our time of greeting those around us and was complimentary of my singing voice.  I thanked her and thought nothing of it, except that it was a nice stroke to my ego (little glimpse into my heart for ya).  We went through the service and sang a few more songs at the end.  As soon as the benediction was over the woman turns around and blurts out "Would you be at all interested in singing in the choir?"  I was a little surprised and was not really sure what to say.  I didn't even know there was a choir and I had just barely learned this woman's name, which was Linde, by the way.  I told Linde that if there was a need I would be willing to offer what I could.  She lit up.  It was almost like a secret alarm had gone off that only choir members could hear because before I knew it choir members were popping up everywhere around me like a game of whack-a-mole and it was all I could do to remember names and keep track of who's hand I was shaking now and why I was smiling so profusely.  Linde called over one last woman named Jenny.  She was incredibly sweet and welcoming and I instantly liked her.  She was charged with the duty of getting my information to the choir director standing just several feet away because my legs had apparently broke unbeknownst to me in all the excitement.  Jenny asked for my information so I handed her one of my cards I still had in order to save time trying to track down the ever illusive pen and paper that always seem to disappear somewhere in the catacombs of your purse at times of great necessity, leaving you with nothing but a piece of what you think is unused tissue and having to bum a crayon off the 5 year old near you.  Thankfully my card saved me from such a charade.  With my card in hand she was off to her mission and I was off to lunch never suspecting how God would use this new acquaintance to fulfill such a grand scheme he had up his sleeve.

To be continued . . .

Confessions Of A Chatty Girl - Part 1: Job hunting

I have been horribly remiss about writing.  I was supposed to write 2 blog posts this week and unfortunately I was not thinking and decided to promise them the first week I started work.  Not one of my brightest moments.  Sorry about that everyone.  Now that the first week is over, I can finally take a breathe and figure out what the heck I am actually going to say and fill you all in on.  So first things first, to update you on my life and all the changes and amazing things that God has been working out and doing in my life.  This is the first part in a 3 part narrative so keep on the lookout for my other 2 posts.

I have a job everyone!  Yes, it is true!  After searching and looking, applying to countless jobs and plenty of interviews.  After a whole lot of almost's I finally got a job!  God literally tailor made and gift wrapped a fantastic job for me that, get this, I absolutely love!  In order for you to appreciate the beauty of God's plan let me go back a ways and fill you in.

So as you know I have been looking for months to find a job.  I got pretty close to getting several or at least so I thought but for some reason there was just nothing that ever panned out.  I have had people promise me the moon only for them to change their minds last minute.  I have had what look like great opportunities that look like the perfect fit dissolve right before my eyes.  Anyone who has ever job hunted knows what I am talking about.  My story is not much different from the norm.  It was so frustrating.  I couldn't understand why God was refusing me these jobs that seemed to be so great!  It just didn't make sense.  But I knew deep down that I had to keep trusting even though I had no clue what he was doing or why he was doing it.  A lot of times I would just get down right mad at God that he wasn't doing what I wanted him to do.  It just wasn't fair!

Before I ever came down to Chattanooga I had sort of set a schedule for myself that if I didn't get a job in 3 weeks that I was going to head back to VA and give my friends housing me a break from my free loading.  This didn't seem hard because there was a job that I had already had 2 interviews with that had both gone really well.  I was sure I had it in the bag.  The hiring manager had told me that I would be hearing from her that week so I get down to Tennessee and settle in to wait for the call.  A few days go by and I hear nothing.  I get a little concerned but the week is not over yet so I calm myself and trust God that he will work it out and they will call if I am going to get the job.  Finally Friday afternoon rolls around and I have yet to hear anything from the hiring manager.  At this point I am tired of waiting and decide to force their hand and make them tell me one way or the other.  I call.  "Oh hey! Yeah sorry I never called you. We have been really busy. We actually hired someone else.  Thanks for applying though and good luck!"  That did not go the way I had expected.  But in my head I had peace still because a) the excitement for that job had been fading in my mind and b) I knew that that job apparently wasn't the job God had for me.  It was a set back and frustrating for sure but I wasn't that disappointed overall so it was back to the salt mines again.  I began getting on job search engines again every day trying to find anything and everything I could lay my mouse on.   I began feeling my 3 week clock ticking and I began to get nervous.  I found 2 jobs online that looked interesting.  Both were immediate positions at 2 different furniture stores.  The first one I had never heard of but the ad looked promising so I applied.  The second I recognized but the ad wasn't as impressive but I applied anyway.  Just 2 days later I got a call from the first furniture store.  They wanted an interview!  I was so excited!  We scheduled the interview for later that day and I rushed about getting into my professional costume.  It took me forever to find the place (I am not a fan of Google maps).  I ended up having to stop and ask for directions.  When I finally found it I was over 30 minutes late.  The store which was really more of a warehouse was back in the back of a sketchy looking cul-de-sac and the entrance was literally a loading dock with a ramp up to it.  Not impressive to say the least.  The guy who was supposed to interview me wasn't even there.  He had just walked away and no one seemed to know where he was.  So some other guy came out and he didn't even realize I was late.  So I counted that as a blessing and answer to prayer that they didn't discount me and still interviewed me but I was not impressed with their lack of professionalism.  I went through the interview and by the end of it I was hired.  I just needed to pass the background check and I could start.  I was excited that I had a job and that it meant I could stay in Chattanooga but I was leery of how it would be working at a furniture warehouse in a rather sketchy part of town with all men in their 30s.  But I was thankful for the job and I had to trust God that he would provide and protect.

I decided to keep my options open.  The warehouse job would be my fall back really.  I didn't want to put all of my eggs in one basket either.  Judging from the kind of business they ran who knew if they would even remember they had hired someone in a week.  So while I waited for the background check to clear I kept looking.

I went over to the other furniture store that I had applied to to see if I could convince them to give me an interview even if they hadn't contacted me back yet.  I walked in and walked back in about 10 minutes with an interview set for the next day.  I was excited and hopeful.  The next day came and I had my interview.  I sit down with the hiring manager and the interview begins amiably.  He seems impressed with me and is speaking very positively.  He then gets to the part about work schedules.  Weekends are mandatory.  Now something you might not know about me is that when it comes to working on Sunday I am very adamant.  I will not do it.  If I was a police officer, or fireman, or EMT or nurse/doctor or something that would be different.  But my personal conviction is that God set Sunday aside as his day.  Not just the morning when church is in session but the whole day.  So as soon as the manager informed me that Saturdays and Sundays were mandatory I knew the interview was pretty much over unless I could convince him otherwise.  I couldn't.  He legitimately looked disappointed for me and genuinely seemed like he wished he could change the rules.  I told him not to worry this was not the first time it had happened to so it was fine and he wished me luck.  I was positive as I left but I was pretty disappointed as I drove away.  I even wondered if I should turn around and compromise my convictions and accept the job.  But I knew I couldn't.  God had been directing me this whole way and I couldn't just disregard that and throw it all away.  So I had to turn it over to God and pray that he would work it out.  I still had a job. It may not have been a dream job but it was a paying job.  God would provide and protect.

To be continued . . .