God's Will

On Saturday, February 22, 2014, I was accepted into graduate school for Mental Health Counseling.

I was shocked that I had been accepted so quickly (the interview had been that Friday and we had been told to expect to hear back from them in 2 weeks--around March 7th), but I was happy and thankful that I no longer had to play the painful waiting game.

After allowing the fact that I will be going back to school in the Fall (yay!) to soak in, I realized that I had learned a very important lesson: What God has for you, is for you!

During the entire application process, I prayed and asked God that His will be done--so, if this particular program was meant for me and if God felt that it was the right time for me to enter into it, then and only then did I want it to happen. But if it wasn't in God's will, then ultimately, since God has my best interest at heart, I would trust Him and ask that He guide me to my next step. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that one of my heart's desires--to attend graduate school for Mental Health Counseling in the Fall of 2014--was in line with God's will for my life.

There have been times where what I wanted was not in line with God's will and/or wasn't God's best for me. Before I started working at my current job as a Reading Interventionist (a RI is a person who works with elementary school children on their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills), I really wanted to work with PATLive--a company that employs people to work as receptionists for various businesses around the world.

I thought PATLive was perfect for me: It had a flexible schedule and since they're open 24/7, I could work anytime of the day or week, they were a company that was used to working with current and future students, they paid $10 an hour and the job was pretty simple and laid-back. Unfortunately, after attending 2 interviews, PATLive decided to not hire me.

I reluctantly and disappointingly continued my job search and applied for the position as a Reading Interventionist. While I had no problem working with children, I wasn't comfortable with teaching them and did not want a job that would require me to do so. But, I had bills to pay and a strong desire for some sense of financial independence, so I applied for the position anyway. I was invited for an interview and immediately after the interview, I was offered the job on the spot.

Of course, I took the job and after working as a Reading Interventionist for about 4 months, I realize that this job is much, much better than the job I would have had at PATLive: I work according to the public school schedule, which means I automatically have weekends and holidays off and don't work past 3:00p.m. on weekdays, I make $14 an hour, have a VERY flexible schedule and wonderful coworkers. I also received a lot of training that helped me to feel comfortable and confident when it comes to teaching the children. The job isn't simple--it's challenging, but it's the perfect job for me and I feel that it has truly allowed me to grow professionally.

With that in mind, I always try to acknowledge that no matter what I may want or believe is right for me, God's will trumps mine and for good reason--God already knows the beginning and end of my story, He is my creator and knows me better than I know myself. Most importantly, He loves me unconditionally and has my best interest at heart. There's no one better to direct my path than my creator, the author and finisher of my story--God. And I thank Him so much for placing me in this Mental Health Counseling program.

Kindest Regards,
Jenai H.