The Lord gives and the Lord takes away -Part II

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me! God has been good, and He is faithful in His provisions. Last week I received an official offer from my first choice place I had been interviewing at. It's been a long process, since I found out my job was being eliminated on Feb 20th, and God has been with me every step of the way. I wanted to share with everyone a bit of what how I have grown through this.
It started just a couple of days after getting the news about my job I found some great opportunities and began the interviewing process. During my first interview with the #1 I learned that the director, who would be the decision maker, wouldn't be available for a few weeks for the next interview. I was very interested in the company and the opportunity they had, so I hoped I was still available when the time would come for the next interview.

I continued to have God smiling on me as I moved forward with roughly four new interviews every week. Another great opportunity came up when I was contacted by another company who had seen my resume online. I met with them two days later and had a very encouraging interview. The HR manager was very interested and impressed with my skills and experience. The numbers and analytical piece really appealed to me.

They moved pretty quickly and asked me back for a second interview for the following week to meet with the rest of the team. Again, it was a very encouraging meeting; they were pleased with my background and what I could bring to the table. The HR manager even said he felt confident giving me a package of benefits information to review. The manager would be out for the next few days but he would get in touch with me with the final decision soon.

Everything was going very smoothly with #2 company and I prepared myself to make a decision. I felt comfortable knowing this would be a good company. I still really wanted to be able to find a way to delay them so that I could at least get to that next interview with my #1 company. It didn't look like that would really be possible as I was still a week away from finding out when my next interview with the first company would be. I did remain in contact with them though, I let them know they were my top choice and I hoped to meet with them again soon.

So I prepared myself to be ready to make a tough decision. If I get an offer from #2 company, would I take it? It's a risky decision, I felt I would be very happy with them I just wished I had a chance to see it through with my first choice. So even if I declined the offer, would I even be sure I would get an offer from my first choice. They were my first choice, but was I theirs? I risked turning down a good opportunity to just be left with nothing in the end. Or it could be the best decision I made.

I just couldn't make this decision myself. So I brought it to God. I prayed that God would protect me and make the decision for me. If this was the path he had prepared for me, make it a clear path to follow. If this was not the path for me, please Lord, just take it away. Don't leave it up to me to make the decision, it's all yours Lord.

That Monday I came home from running errands to find a new email in my inbox. I didn't get the job! My head spun for a moment. I was all but offered the job on the spot and now it was gone. Then I was scared, I still didn't have a job. It wasn't until the next day even that I remembered what I had prayed for the week before. Was this the answer to my prayer?

I moved forward interviewing and applying for new jobs everyday. I even managed to get a couple days of temp work. That week, on Friday, was also my second interview with my first choice. Throughout the whole interview process I had not been too nervous. For this interview I was nervous though. I worried in the morning that I should have worn my gray suit, or maybe I curled my hair too much.

The interview itself went well. I enjoyed meeting with the HR manager and director, and knew this would be a company I would enjoy working with. Plus the position would also give me the opportunity to learn new applications I had not previously worked with. I wasn't certain I would get the job though. I worried there might be others more qualified or maybe even an internal candidate. After getting turned down from one job my confidence was shaken, so I didn't let myself get too excited. It could be a couple of weeks before they had reached a decision. No matter what though, I tried to remember to trust in the Lord to provide. It's hard during such a scary time, but what better confidence builder then having the almighty God on your side!

The following Tuesday as I left another interview, I had a voicemail message from the HR manager. I quickly called back and left a message that I was returning the call. As I sat in the car I recited my favorite memory verse I learned in Crown class. "Everything in the heavens and earth is yours O Lord, and this is your kingdom; we adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the ruler of all mankind. Your hand controls power and might and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength." 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (TLB). It's a great reminder that God is in control. As soon as I finished that verse the phone rang again. The job was mine!
God is good all the time!
However, God wasn't done with his planning just yet. Just about an hour after get the job offer, my former counterpart called. She was going on vacation, and needed someone in the office to cover for her, especially since she's all alone now. Since I could easily slip back into the role she was hoping I would still be available for some temp work.

Planned out as perfectly as could be, I could temp for her during my last remaining days of being unemployed. My start date with the new company was right after she would be returning from vacation. I was easily able to fill in for her and start the following week at my new job.

Thank you again for all your prayers, your strength and encouragements have done great things for me. I am blessed to have had this experience to grow with God and see evidence of God's never ending provisions.