A Story of Faithfulness
When I applied for my first nursing position at a reputable hospital, I was fairly hopeful that I would get the job. I felt like the application and interview process went well, so I was eager to find out if I would be hired. Several of my peers also applied, and I heard about them getting call-backs of acceptance one by one. Meanwhile, I heard nothing. A few weeks later, I received an email saying all the positions had been filled. Rejection stinks.
I applied for a second position at a different hospital, and they never even called me back after my interview. Once again, rejection stinks.
That's when a friend reminded me that God probably had something better in mind for me. And she was certainly right.
Not too long before graduation, when many of my friends already had nursing positions and I was still searching and wondering what I was going to do after I graduated, one of my classmates told me about an opening for a night shift new-grad nursing position in a labor and delivery unit at a nearby hospital. My ears perked up immediately as my mind flashed back...
In Tanzania last summer, the highlight of the trip was learning about labor and delivery, postpartum, and nursery care. I got to assist in C-sections, help deliver babies, and give postpartum care. And I absolutely loved it. Unlike the other students on the trip, I never got tired of working on the OB unit.
One of my favorite memories of nursing school was in my OB clinical when I got to hand a newborn baby to her mother for the first time.
Also, one of my mentors advised me that labor and delivery is the best unit in which a future missionary nurse can work because those skills will be applicable around the work.
And I know that because labor and delivery is a specialty area, it is difficult for a new graduate nurse to obtain a position in it.
Now the Lord was opening a door that was rare, but perfect for me! It was my dream job. After applying and interviewing; however, I got the impression that the nurse manager needed to fill the position right away, meaning that I would be ineligible because of my upcoming trip to Africa that would postpone my start date to the end of July. But God's faithfulness proved true, and He granted me favor in the eyes of the nurse manager so that she offered me the job despite the obstacles.
Now, I am scheduled to begin orientation on Monday, and I will start working in the clinical setting as a labor and delivery and postpartum recovery nurse when I return from Burkina Faso, Africa, at the end of July.
Truth be told, I would have taken that first job if I had been offered it, and then I would not have had this dream job, which so perfectly fits my passions and the future work God has for me on the mission field. Looking back, I see that rejection does not stink so bad after all because even in rejection, God's purposes prevailed.
I share this simple story with you, not to promise that everything always works out just the way we want it to, but to testify that God, in His faithfulness, works "all things together for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). We tend to think that the "good" that God works all things toward is our happiness. We fall into thinking that if things work out the way we want them to, then it is all good. If things had worked out the way I wanted them to, I would have gotten a job at the first hospital I applied to, and I never would have known about the labor and delivery position. Our happiness in keeping with our own plans is not the "good" that this verse talks about. Keep reading and see that the "good" Paul is talking about is our sanctification, that we be "conformed to the image of His son" (v. 29) The "good" that God works all things toward is His glory through the sanctification of His people.
Because of initial rejection, I now have a job that I never dreamed possible. Because of an eating disorder, I now have a relationship with God that I never dreamed possible. Because of heartache, loss, discouragement, and despair, we come to know God as the healer, comforter, restorer, and hope-giver. So when we face rejection, obstacles, or situations that just don't seem to be going our way, remember that God is sovereign. He promises to work all things together for good - His glory and our sanctification. What seems terrible at this current moment may in fact be leading toward something much greater. What may seem like a detour may be a redirection to a greater surprise with glory waiting just around the corner.
I applied for a second position at a different hospital, and they never even called me back after my interview. Once again, rejection stinks.
That's when a friend reminded me that God probably had something better in mind for me. And she was certainly right.
Not too long before graduation, when many of my friends already had nursing positions and I was still searching and wondering what I was going to do after I graduated, one of my classmates told me about an opening for a night shift new-grad nursing position in a labor and delivery unit at a nearby hospital. My ears perked up immediately as my mind flashed back...
In Tanzania last summer, the highlight of the trip was learning about labor and delivery, postpartum, and nursery care. I got to assist in C-sections, help deliver babies, and give postpartum care. And I absolutely loved it. Unlike the other students on the trip, I never got tired of working on the OB unit.
One of my favorite memories of nursing school was in my OB clinical when I got to hand a newborn baby to her mother for the first time.
Also, one of my mentors advised me that labor and delivery is the best unit in which a future missionary nurse can work because those skills will be applicable around the work.
And I know that because labor and delivery is a specialty area, it is difficult for a new graduate nurse to obtain a position in it.
Now the Lord was opening a door that was rare, but perfect for me! It was my dream job. After applying and interviewing; however, I got the impression that the nurse manager needed to fill the position right away, meaning that I would be ineligible because of my upcoming trip to Africa that would postpone my start date to the end of July. But God's faithfulness proved true, and He granted me favor in the eyes of the nurse manager so that she offered me the job despite the obstacles.
Now, I am scheduled to begin orientation on Monday, and I will start working in the clinical setting as a labor and delivery and postpartum recovery nurse when I return from Burkina Faso, Africa, at the end of July.
Truth be told, I would have taken that first job if I had been offered it, and then I would not have had this dream job, which so perfectly fits my passions and the future work God has for me on the mission field. Looking back, I see that rejection does not stink so bad after all because even in rejection, God's purposes prevailed.
I share this simple story with you, not to promise that everything always works out just the way we want it to, but to testify that God, in His faithfulness, works "all things together for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). We tend to think that the "good" that God works all things toward is our happiness. We fall into thinking that if things work out the way we want them to, then it is all good. If things had worked out the way I wanted them to, I would have gotten a job at the first hospital I applied to, and I never would have known about the labor and delivery position. Our happiness in keeping with our own plans is not the "good" that this verse talks about. Keep reading and see that the "good" Paul is talking about is our sanctification, that we be "conformed to the image of His son" (v. 29) The "good" that God works all things toward is His glory through the sanctification of His people.
Because of initial rejection, I now have a job that I never dreamed possible. Because of an eating disorder, I now have a relationship with God that I never dreamed possible. Because of heartache, loss, discouragement, and despair, we come to know God as the healer, comforter, restorer, and hope-giver. So when we face rejection, obstacles, or situations that just don't seem to be going our way, remember that God is sovereign. He promises to work all things together for good - His glory and our sanctification. What seems terrible at this current moment may in fact be leading toward something much greater. What may seem like a detour may be a redirection to a greater surprise with glory waiting just around the corner.
Hey girl, so excited about your job and also love this encouragement. We can become discouraged quickly until we remember we have Father who gives good gifts to his children. I don't know if you saw the link I put up yesterday to my blog but I think you might find it interested. It's called Midwife to Hope. If you go to my FB page you can find it linked there. Part of it is about me, some of it is about an OB nurse, and some of it is about all of us women of God who find God faithful in all things. Much love.
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