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Hello! My name is Adrie and I just graduated university this past June. I studied Linguistics and I’m currently working at a centre that provides services and support for children diagnosed with autism. I’m super grateful for this job and I love working here very much. I’d love to share the story of how I got this job with you!
Like many graduates, it’s not the easiest task to figure out what to do or where to work after graduation, especially during the pandemic. In my final semester, I had applied to grad school thinking that it was what I wanted to do. I knew the program I applied to was super competitive and that the chances of me getting accepted were very low. It was throughout this final semester while waiting to hear from the schools that I truly learned to trust in God and lean into His plan and His providence. I reminded myself daily that God has my life in His hands, that He is in control, and that He has a wonderful plan for me. I told myself that I thought grad school was good for me and maybe God thought so too (which would be cool!), or maybe He had already thought of something far greater than I could ever expect (which would be even cooler!!).
My biggest worry (other than actually graduating lol) throughout the final semester was whether I would get into grad school or not, because I had nothing else planned for the near future. In this time of waiting and of looking at my future quickly approaching, I realized all I could do was trust God and trust that He has something great for me. I didn’t know I could, but I felt an overwhelming sense of peace when I took that step of faith to trust God with my future plans. When I received the email saying that I was rejected from grad school, I was definitely sad for a few days, but I also knew that God had something else for me.
I kept telling myself (because it’s true!) that I thought that grad school was good for me, but God has something far greater and more exciting than anything I could ever imagine for myself.
I found myself reading Psalm 23 often during this time of waiting. Psalm 23:1-2 says “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” In this time of waiting, I learned to really see the Lord as my shepherd, the One who provides for me and who gives me peace beyond understanding. I didn’t know where God was taking me, but simply trusting that He was taking me somewhere wonderful was enough to give me peace. Psalm 23:1-2 doesn’t say that the author knows where the shepherd is leading him, but that the shepherd leads him by still waters and green pastures. Sounds so peaceful and calm, even in the unknown. These verses reminded me of my own experience not knowing where I was headed, but still having the peace of God with me as I walk with Him because all I need to know is that God is good and that He has something good already planned for me.
After getting rejected from grad school, I finished up the semester and graduated! Yay! I realized that I didn’t really have a plan or any idea of what I wanted to do. I really just thought about what I needed to fix or add to my experience so that I could re-apply for grad school in the next few years. I thought to myself “ok I’ll take a break for the summer and just chill. Then I’ll start looking for work or volunteer opportunities that I can use to gain experience in the field.” Sounded like a good plan. But God had an even better plan for me. In June, I was offered a job at the center that I was volunteering at. I was volunteering there throughout the year already, but working there never really crossed my mind. I never thought I would work at the center since my background was in linguistics and not in applied behaviour analysis or psychology like most of my coworkers. I have always dreamed of working with children and I guess I was more in need of something to do than I had realized!
I was ready to just chill and start thinking about school and work again after the summer, but God gifted me with a wonderful job where I get to hang out with children every day in a very meaningful way.
Experiencing God’s providence and learning to trust Him in this crazy time of transitioning out of school has taught me to trust God with my future and whatever comes next after this job. (I’m so grateful for this job and I’ve been working for around 3 months now. I hope to work here for the next while but I also know that whatever comes next and whenever it comes will be by God’s grace and in His plan!) He has shown me that He does have a wonderful plan for me, far greater than anything I could have ever thought of. This is true for your life too! And I hope and pray and encourage you to take a small step of faith and let God show you his plan for you. He loves you so much and holds you in his hands. He has a wonderful plan for our lives, which is far greater than anything we could ever plan or imagine for ourselves.
I thought I had a good plan for my future, but God had something far greater and more exciting than anything I could ever imagine for myself.
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