| Proverbs 16:9 – “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” |
By the end of my junior year in high school, I was feeling pressured to pick a career and select colleges to apply to. I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life – I had lots of things I knew I DIDN’T want to do, but to decide on one thing for the rest of my life? The thought frightened me.
My parents did not understand my confusion: both had decided early in life what their futures would look like and had never wavered from those desires. I spent a lot of high school taking business-related courses such as typing, shorthand and bookkeeping, so I figured I would go to a business school and then…….I had no idea.
One day I thought about a cousin I admired who was a court reporter. I wrote her a long letter asking lots of questions, and she replied how much she enjoyed her job. It sounded impressive and like something I figured I could do. I did not do as much research about the job as I should have, and certainly didn’t pray about it much. But having an answer to the career question got everyone off my back for a while, and that’s what mattered most to me at that time.
For about a year I studied court reporting at a business school in Des Moines – most of that time was spent in tears and frustration because it turned out to be NOT the right career for me. As hard as it was for me to admit defeat, I left college and tried to come up with a different plan. Nothing seemed to work, and my efforts at forcing myself into career molds that others picked out for me were a dismal failure.
Several years later and after many failed attempts and doors being shut in my face, God finally led me into the job that would evolve into the career of my dreams. When the timing was right and I was ready, this profession was presented to me. God directed me toward the right people and places, and he aligned the timing so that this special opportunity was available just when I needed it. Once I opened my eyes and heart to the path God wanted me to take, I achieved more success and fulfillment than I ever imagined.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you can take even my best plans and turn them into something better – the place where I needed to be that I never would have found on my own. Thank you for closing the doors that needed to be closed, and opening the ones that revealed your plans for me. Help me to be more receptive to your ways and not try to do everything on my own. Amen.
– Betty Gossell
