As I listened to Randy’s sermon on Acts 10, where an angel directs Peter to visit Cornelius and eventually bring this God-fearing Gentile into the family of God through baptism, I was struck by this: God often says really surprising things to his people. He leads us in unexpected directions. I experienced this truth recently when I left a job with Young Life to go into the corporate world for the first time in my career and work for Google. This was highly unexpected for a couple of reasons. First, I am one of the most technologically challenged people my age you will probably ever meet. And second, I am an ordained, Presbyterian pastor who has graduated from seminary and worked in college ministry for more than six years. Not exactly the most likely person for Google to hire. But I am convinced that this is where the Lord wants me, and I’m grateful for his abundant provision I’ve experienced in this new season. While I acknowledge that I am aware of only a small part of the much bigger story God is writing in the world and in my own life, I can see several ways that God is using my job at Google to stretch and grow me as a follower of Christ.
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One of my primary goals in ministry to college students was helping them to develop a vision for integrating their faith into the everyday, ordinary places of life. As they prepare to graduate and work in the “real world,” I want them to understand they have an opportunity to bear witness to the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ in whatever job they choose to pursue. I now have the opportunity to put these words I have spoken so many times into practice myself.
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Google is an amazing company to work for. It values relationship building and collaboration, open communication and risk taking. I can learn so much from my co-workers, and I’m excited to take advantage of the resources around me when it comes to subjects I’m passionate about, such as leadership and team building.
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I also believe God has given me gifts and experiences that allow me to contribute significantly in my current role. One example: I manage the mentorship program for all tech interns in North America. I have spent years recruiting and training volunteers to mentor college students-I now have the opportunity to apply that experience in a very different environment.
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Finally, and most importantly, I am learning to trust God in new ways. I sometimes let my insecurities get the best of me, struggling with self-confidence and comparing myself to others. I constantly need to ask the Lord for confidence in who he created me to be, freedom to live into my gifts, and rest in God’s grace.
God takes us in surprising directions and is with us every step of the way. “Thanks be to our God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him!” (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Julie Bottorff
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