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Michelle
Spencer finishes University with a cheer only
to wonder what happens next?
I am in the middle of the street doing what
could appear to be a very accurate impression
of a monkey … whilst I agree that I
give a very convincing performance, the purpose
of this monkey dance is not to show off my
acting skills, this is the moment I received
my final grades from my degree. I’m
feeling particularly pleased because I’ve
leapt from a very convincing fail to a rather
stunning pass grade, I am over the moon! I
can finally flee the past 22 years of study
and look forward to embarking on a career
path full of purpose, success and, of course,
money. I hear somebody say, ‘Welcome
to the University of Life Michelle’
and it dawns on me that I’m entering
into a really significant time; the decisions
I make next will determine my future.
I wasn’t sure what particular area I
wanted work in but I had 3 main criteria that
my future job had to fill; firstly, it had
to be a job that mattered, the role had to
benefit others, secondly, I really felt a
need to work outside of the Church environment
and thirdly it had to bring in some money
to pay off the last 22 years of shopping trips
and so I embarked on what was to be the strangest
few months of my life …
To me the job hunting process seemed a simple
one, I would see an interesting vacancy which
fulfilled my 3 requirements, after applying
for it it’d get an interview which I
would attend so that I could see what the
offices were like, if I was keen on their
dress code and if it was in a convenient location
for me to meet my friends for lunch. If the
environment ticked all the boxes then I would
take it. After a few months of applying for
jobs I began to get a little concerned that
my plan for my new, glamorous career weren’t
working out. I was applying for many jobs
but not even getting past the application
process, I had tried everything and time was
ticking on.
One day in summer I decided to attend a summer
school for a day with my boyfriend who was
leading a seminar there. During my time there
I sat in on a different seminar specifically
for girls; it was an amazing time together,
which finished with every girl being prayed
for by the rest of the group. When it came
to my turn I stood in the middle and the girls
prayed that God would provide me with the
right job, after the session ended I looked
at my phone to discover that during that time
I had been asked to attend my first interview.
As this interview came as a result of prayer
I was sure this was the one, within a matter
of days I would be employed … phew!
I attended the interview which was a success
as I got invited back for a second interview
which didn’t surprise because God was
going to get me this job so, when I received
a call a couple of days later to say that
I had not been successful in getting this
job, I couldn’t believe it. God had
provided this job opportunity only to then
take it away … what did He think He
was doing!!! I felt completely let down. Was
I the only one in this world without a purpose?
Did God forget about planning my life? It
seemed to me that everyone around me seamlessly
transitioned into their ‘purpose’
so why was I different? Applying for jobs
put me in a very vulnerable position. I had
all the elements of my character analysed
by people who don’t know you and then
they decide if you’re good enough or
not. I fell into a trap of thinking that my
lack of success was because of a flaw my character.
Just over a month ago a lady in my Church
sent me through a job she had seen which she
thought I would be really good at. It was
in the area of youth work (an area I had not
yet considered applying for), it was working
for a government funded agency and the pay
was just the right amount, so I decided to
go for it. During the application process
the longing for this job became increasingly
intense. I got angry at God because I believed
he was setting me up for a fall. I remember
saying to a friend that it would take a miracle
for me to get this job but ‘miracles
don’t happen to me!’ About seven
days after the words came out of my mouth
I got offered the job of my dreams, a miracle
took place … I ate a lot of humble pie
that day!
My first months in the ‘University of
Life’ have been a steep learning curve.
I have learned that all my job hunting experience
prepared me for the job that God had planned
for me. I know that I had to go to all the
interviews and get turned down so that I could
learn how to give a good interview. I have
learned that it is important to be discerning
when choosing what area to work in and to
be patient. I have learned that God does have
a purpose for me, it often doesn’t make
sense to me but it is always what is best. |
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Youthwork -
The Partnership ...
ALOVE,
Youthwork Magazine, Youth For Christ, Spring Harvest and
Oasis are working together to equip and resource the Church
for effective youth work and ministry. |
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