I write this post on a cloudy Monday afternoon from a PC that sits on my work desk. It’s my fourth week at the new job and it wasn’t until last week that I found out how much I am getting paid (That late? Mhmm!) The pay isn’t great, and for now, I am only a part-timer working three times a week, but I’m grateful to have this job. But before I get into that, here is a little background on my post-UofT experience: I finished my undergraduate studies this past December and besides a few, irregular background gigs and helping out at home, I didn’t have much to do. Having no deadlines, no tasks, and no goals drained me a little more each day. Each day, I was a little more aware of my $35,000 debt. Each day, I was reminded that no one in my family had a stable income. Each day, I came to better understand the depression that results from doing nothing – something those close to my heart have been experiencing for quite a while now.
One month passed by, and another followed. March came around, and finding a job in Toronto seemed impossible. Tired of sitting around, I spontaneously applied to teach English in South Korea. I had my interview in mid-March and two days later, I was offered a year-long position! The only issue now was the uncertainty that overwhelmed me as I thought of leaving Toronto all alone. I’m down for going to new places and experiencing different things, but going to a completely unfamiliar place on my own is something I’d rather not do. A little anxious, I asked God one last time to help me find a job in Toronto, fully aware of the fact that if no job offer came within the week, I would most likely be hopping on a plane to South Korea (I needed an income pretty badly). As I prayed, I remembered a family acquaintance whom I met earlier this year – a well-connected guy who willingly forwarded my resume to an insurance company earlier this January (though unfortunately, no job offer came out of it). I specifically asked the Lord to work in and through this man to somehow connect me to something, again. I closed my journal, barely believed my prayer had any power, and went to sleep. Two days later I checked my email, and without my doing, I discovered an email from this acquaintance offering me a part-time job at his office in Toronto. Let me say this again: I did not contact the guy; he contacted me.
Jehovah-jireh – my God provides. He really does. He may not provide exactly what I want, but He will always provide precisely what I need. He knows my needs better than I do. Of course I would have preferred to skip the struggle and get a well-paid job back in January instead of waiting till April and accumulating interest on my debt. But if that happened, I wouldn’t be here. Yet here I am, and I am ever so grateful. I get to work with an amazing team of people who are not only hilarious but also kind and available to teach me all the insurance things my brain cannot yet comprehend. The workplace itself is unique – it is the first and only office I have been to that creates a space for the rich man to dine with the poor man at the same table. And by that I mean exactly just that – the same office space that is occupied by the owner is also a dwelling place for a man who once lived in his car. This man had no where to live so my boss took him in and allowed for the unused, back room to become his room (How?! What?! I know…it blows my mind too). Weird places and unusual circumstances have a special place in my heart – they make me feel at home; like I can just be – not pretend to be, but just be. I don’t know how long I’ll work here, but today, I am oh so glad I can call this strangely unique place my work.