In 2008, I graduated journalism school with one dream–finding a job in publishing. For months, I searched and searched to no avail. I applied to job posting after job posting. One was for a temporary editorial assistant at an inspirational publishing company. I went in for an interview, thought I did well…and never heard back. I was bummed. Didn’t God want my dream to come true?
Five years passed. I was working as a copywriter, writing a lot of marketing emails. Still praying like nobody’s business for my lucky break into journalism. On Easter Sunday, I pulled up a jobs website and saw a unique listing for a magazine editor: “Want a full-time job exploring the mysteries of life?”
I sure did! Not only did the position sound intriguing, but it was for the same company I’d applied to all those years before. Guideposts.
I went in for the interview, talked to the delightful Rick Hamlin and somehow ended up with the best job ever. It was better than anything I could even think to pray for. I went from writing marketing emails to writing about miracles, my family, my culture and faith.
Now, after five and a half years, I’m leaving Guideposts and Mysterious Ways for a new job opportunity. The past few weeks have been a blur of finalizing stories, cleaning my desk (which is basically a second home for my shoes!) and saying goodbye to the most wonderful co-workers.
Through it all, I’ve been thinking a lot about that job I didn’t get in 2008. Back then, in the midst of my disappointment, I never thought I’d return five years later. I guess we just don’t know the miracles God has in store for us. Even if it looks like your dreams–especially the seemingly impossible ones–might never happen, not in a million years, God surprises you.
I’m going to try to keep that in mind as I move on to my next adventure.
Before I go, I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this blog, and for all your lovely comments and the miracles you’ve shared throughout the years. A special shout-out to my parents and sisters too, for letting me share their stories and for reading each and every blog post (that can’t have been easy!). Many thanks also to Guideposts’ brilliant blog editor Melissa Roberson (who somehow put up with all my writings about candy) and the oh-so-talented Mysterious Ways team–Hilary Ribons, Elena Tafone and Rakeem Nelson. They truly make work a joy.
Thank you all for being part of my Guideposts family!
