Matthew 8:20 (new American Standard Bible)
Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
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In March 1989 I was in a pickle. Several weeks earlier my family had announced that they were leaving New York City and moving to Pittsburgh (where our roots were and practically everyone in the family lived). I had planned to finish college and find a job while still living at home. This would make things easier on me and allow me to help my mom out with some of the bills. I didn’t want to move.
I had good friends in New York (including a girlfriend). I had a great church that I was excited about and in which I was growing. The schools I wanted to attend were in New York. I felt that I needed to stay put.
Staying put meant I had to do four things in rapid succession. 1) I had to get my Mom’s OK to get my own place. 2) I had to get my Dad’s OK too. 3) I had to get a job that paid enough to handle my own place. 4) I had to find a place.
The first two didn’t seem to big an issue for me. My parents knew I felt ready and I believed they agreed with me. The second two, however, were cause for lost sleep. I hadn’t finished my degree and couldn’t really expect a good paying job without it, and without such a job an apartment was out of the question.
So I prayed for a job…Oh, I went to several job agencies and a few interviews “on my own” as it were. No good.
So, as I said, I prayed (meaning I realized it was NOT going to work without God’s help).
Here is what happened:
The DAY after I committed my job search to God I visited the three agencies I had been working with…no go. Later while talking with a friend she mentioned that the agency that had found her a job might be able to help me. They placed mostly, but not exclusively, women. I was a bit dubious to be honest, but I had asked God to help, and this was definitely not something I would think of myself, so I called for an appointment.
Walking into the agency all eyes were on me…I was the only non-female in the room and I felt like I had snuck into the wrong locker room. I went through the process: filled out forms, sat through a quick interview, handed over my resume, and left with the agent’s eyes stuck in my memory…eyes that said “what am I going to do with him?”
When I got home my phone was ringing and I grabbed it thinking it was my friend calling to ask how things had gone and offer encouragement. To my surprise it was the agent I had just left! She told me that another agent had remembered seeing me and had called a company she dealt with to inquire after open positions; and could I go for an interview in the morning? I said “sure.”
The day after the interview I was offered a job with that company, at a modest but sufficient salary. Cross one item off the list. I began work and turned my thoughts to the other big need….an apartment.
Needless to say I was psyched! In less than 72 hours after praying I had been directed to an agency, gotten an interview, and been offered the job! I figured an apartment would be a cinch…..
2B Continued...
