When I graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2009 I had a plan on how my life was going to unfold. I was taking a year off from school to work and gain experience so that I could apply to physical therapy school. Things did not go quite as I had planned; I had applied to physical therapy school in 2010 and did not get any invitations for any interviews. I was determined that this would change if I applied again. I retook a few science classes and once again, sent in my applications. I had one interview and was placed on a few waitlists but when the time came no schools came calling for me to begin the next year of school with them.
I was unsure of my future at that time. I was unsure if I wanted to continue with following with my plan and try applying to physical therapy school or trust that there was something else out there for me. I spent a lot of time in prayer asking God to show me what or where He wanted me to go with my life and career. There were many times I wondered why things were not working out the way that I had planned. I seemed to continually question if there was a plan out there for me. During some of my devotions, I found Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” This passage really spoke to me. God does not abandon us even when we think He is there for us. Even during a time in my life when I was blaming others or even God for I was going through, He was still there when I needed Him.
I started relying more on God and less on myself as I searched for what I wanted to do with my life. After a couple months of prayer, I decided to start the process of applying for firefighting positions in the greater Seattle area. I know it is still a process where trusting God is more important than ever. Things are still uncertain regarding my job situation but all I can continue to do is trust in the Lord that everything will come out as He has planned for me. This Bible passage came across during a devotional time and it relates to what I am going through, trusting the Lord’s will and knowing that what His plans is for me is the right one. “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NIV) I am learning to fully rely on God but knowing that His plan is where I am supposed to go will be a lesson that will always be something that I will have to work on. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”