Wednesday in the Word

Good afternoon everyone~

I have taken a short hiatus to somehow fit sleep into my schedule. It's summer vacation, and it has definitely been a blessing to see a lot of your excited faces as you board the plane to a well-deserved break from school :) Been there, done that, I know how the laborious 9 months of homework, studying, essays, and exams are very draining. For those of you entering the work force, YES, this is going to be your last summer vacation in a while, but at least (for most of you) you'll be paid for whatever hours you work, and you are off duty after hours~ That's always something exciting to look forward to :)

How is everyone? I hope you've all been well, and enjoying the summer sun (or winter chills if you're from the southern hemisphere). It has been rather busy on my end, and it feels like it's been a while since I've actually caught a breather. I feel that in light of the many recent graduations, this would be a good time to do a Wednesday in the Word with one of the verses that helped me through tough times when I was a recent graduate.

"For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. " -Jeremiah 29:10-11

Ridiculously brief background story: There are false prophets saying that times will be easy, but Jeremiah is a real prophet, and he was called to tell everyone that it isn't going to be easy. People want to believe the false prophets, because who doesn't want to believe life will be easy? Anyhow, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles of Jerusalem, and they included Jeremiah 29:10-11.

When I graduated, one of the things that bothered me was that I saw myself doing something so much greater than teaching at an after school program. Then, I got an actual teaching job, and I felt like I wasn't using my degree, or at least earning enough to justify throwing away my degree and moving across the country. I kept hearing from aunts and uncles that I was just being lazy, and that getting a job should be easy since I have a degree. Youtube videos and blogs of successful twenty year olds (and teens) made me feel like I wasted so much time and money on getting my Bachelor's, and I was so discouraged. After a school year, I got a job in a very affluent telecommunications company with (sort of) room to move up. I was getting paid a pretty penny, and still, I felt like I was nowhere near where I was "supposed" to be. I was hearing left and right that I should stay with the high paying job, and that it will become my career, and that the money I was earning could justify any hoops and obstacles I was going through. I felt attacked at all sides: internally, I didn't want to be there. At work, there were circumstances that made me feel as though I was drowning on the inside, and it had nothing to do with the fact that I didn't like my job. My family was badgering me to stay in the job because I can accumulate wealth. Society told me I was successful because I was nearing a six figure salary and paying off a car right out of college. I felt so ungrateful because I heard about my friends who were struggling to even find a full time job. If you've followed me over the past year, then you know that I have moved on from that job to becoming a flight attendant, where I am happier. However, I am struggling. I am struggling a lot when it comes to finances, and it is really frustrating when I hear co-workers saying it's not hard for them because they have parents or significant others financing them, or they entered the company when it was easy for them to get a set schedule, so they also worked part time elsewhere.

Over the past four years, I learned: You are not going to be where you want to be at any given time. Where you are at is where God has placed you, so you can learn something, teach something, receive a blessing, and be a blessing. It isn't just me who is struggling. My friends and peers are struggling as well. Every generation has their struggle, but it's important to keep our eye on what is truly important. God's promise of 70 years of turmoil and hardship is not a lonely odyssey we must brave on our own: it's a journey with those alongside you. His promise of plans, welfare, and goodness is not for us to bask in alone, but for us to share with each other and pass on to generations after. We're asked to remain 21-25 while earning the managerial experience of someone who is 50, and accept a minimum wage, and it gets a bit tough out there in the world, especially in corporate. Life isn't meant to be easy, as the false prophets preached. We weren't called to live an easy life and ask God to provide everything we want, for He is a God who has and will provide everything we need. We are going through these struggles not for ourselves, but for each other and the future. That is how great God's plans are for us. So don't be discouraged when you are turned down from a job you want. Don't lose hope when you aren't getting paid enough. Don't give up when there isn't even a job you feel like you want to apply to. Continue trying, delivering, learning, teaching, praying, and going forth. God is with us, so we'll get there. Eventually.

#WednesdayintheWord