Come sit down and let me tell you a story.
A few months ago, a friend who I highly respect and admire, sent me a text as I was boarding a return flight from a week of business in Florida. It had been an exhausting week of late hours and hard work. My brain was mush, over taxed and over processed. My limbs hung heavily to my side, longing to be home, in my own bed, with my own family. Do you ever have those days when you are just pushing to the finish line? I was literally calculating how many hours it would take until I could pull into my driveway.
I flipped open his text and began to read. His business was growing, and he was looking to add an employee to help manage the operations. He was willing to train and was actually looking for someone that may not currently hold the skill set, but would be able to learn. Helping people makes my spirit smile broadly and fulfills something inside of me that I cannot put into words. When I see a need, I try to fill it. However, in this case, I just couldn’t think of anyone who was in the market for a new position. Admittedly though, I couldn’t think. My brain was in the process of a forced shut down.
I sent him a return text saying I would send it out to my friend groups and see if anyone was interested.
Then I boarded the plane, put my book bag under my seat, and pulled out my phone to begin my nightly ritual of scanning Facebook…Facebook is like the adult version of show and tell. It’s mindless and frankly, I just enjoy it. I likely spend way to much time on it but I find it relaxing. (Judge me if you’d like.)
In what I could only describe as a full on tug on my spirit, I thought “Maybe you should post that job to the Israel page.” ….We had just come back from a trip of a life time to Israel a few weeks prior. There were about 45 of us on the trip organized by our church. The group had bonded through our travels and they created a Facebook group to share thoughts and pictures.
I jumped over to the Israel page….then thought, “No. That’s weird.” No one in that group is looking for a job!
I resumed scanning my timeline while watching the plane fill. Scan. Scan…then a repeating message, “You should post that job to the Israel page.”
Okay I thought. Whatever. I typed out this message:
“Not sure this is the right place to post, but I thought someone may be looking for a job.”
Then my nerves and ego rose up. I said – “This is ridiculous. They are a group of professionals and retirees. They have jobs or don’t want jobs. They are going to think YOU are ridiculous posting this here. This is the ISRAEL group page – not the FIND A JOB page.”
And I deleted it.
Sighed and went back to my Facebook time line.
By now the flight attendant was giving her safety speech. While I’ve heard it so many times I could likely be a stand in, and do it off the cuff, I do think it’s rude to not listen. I glanced up and gave it my best effort to pay attention…within seconds, the same thought came back around “You should post that job on the Israel page.”
UUUGGGH
“Fine. Fine. I will post it God. I will post it and I will look ridiculous. But I will post it.”
I typed it out frantically, included a print screen of my friend’s text, and posted to the Israel page just as the wheels of the plane were leaving the tarmac. “There. It’s done.” I sighed, shaking my head from side to side.
Truly when I tell you, this bothered me so much. The next morning when I was catching up with my husband, I relayed the whole story – the text, the tug on my spirit – not once but three times, and how I felt incredibly silly in this new group of friends… that I didn’t really know well enough….
But at the end of the day, I clearly felt called to post. So whatevvvverrr…. I suppose I’ve looked ridiculous before. I wouldn’t spontaneously combust if I did again.
I checked the group page several times over the next few days…nothing. Not a single confirmation (like). Not a single comment. My ego said, “See. Told you. Ridiculous.”
After a few days, my friend sent me another text. “How do you know CM?”
“CM? She went on our Israel trip and she goes to our church. Why?"
(My mind had not put the coincidence together yet.)
“She applied for the job. Is she good?” He said.
I couldn’t believe it. Someone from the Israel trip applied!! I checked the post again – nothing. Okay….maybe she didn’t want me to know??
I decided to reach out through messenger – and it’s there that I see she sent me a message the day before…She was in the market for a full time job and this one sounded like something she could sink her teeth in. For whatever reason, I never received the message notification…
This story turns out magically. She interviews and of course they love her. No doubt they can see how intelligent she is, right off the bat. It was a win-win for both parties. She has been working there since March and by all reports, she loves her job! We recently had a conversation about it, and I couldn’t help but get teary. I get teary every time I think about it because I know how much I argued with the prompting and to see it all work out…it’s just beautiful.
It serves as a reminder (to me) that God often has bigger plans for us than we could ever imagine. His ways are not our ways…and sometimes, we can’t see how the pieces to the puzzle are coming together – until they do. When life doesn’t look picture perfect (hello Covid), I lean on memories like this and know He has me (and you) in his hands.
I’m committed to listening, to learning, to action, when my spirit feels those tugs. I don’t always get it right. But I keep trying….. What I whole heartily believe is that God uses people.
He uses people.
Be the light.
Chats A Lot 
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