Since I arrived on Wednesday, there hasn't been much to do. A lot of the students here already have jobs, so they are working during the day, and since I arrived early, my orientation doesn't start until Monday. That has left me plenty of time to look for a job.
When I was thinking about the ideal job, I wanted somewhere that would give me a good amount of hours. This is pretty self-explanatory. I wanted to be able to make money this summer, and I wanted to have enough hours where I could actually develop relationships with my coworkers. This was not my first priority, but it was important.
I wanted to work on the boardwalk. Most of the places on the boardwalk are relatively close, and they have amazing views right outside the door. Pretty selfish, but whatever.
I wanted somewhere that I could get a discounted lunch, so probably somewhere that serves food. We are on our own for lunch everyday, so it would have been nice to not have to make my lunch and still eat cheap. I could buy groceries, but that sounded like too much work. Pretty selfish too, but whatever.
Most important to me, though, was that I do not work with people also on project with me. I know myself inside and out, and if I work with project people I will just be hanging out with them having a jolly old time. I would never talk to my coworkers.
So I begin to apply for jobs. I apply to a couple places on the boardwalk, mainly places where I know my friends who were also quarter students worked in the past. I sent out my applications, and as a safety net I went to McDonald's. A lot of people work at McDonald's, and some people earlier in the day said they went in, talked to the manager, and walked out with a job. But I didn't want to work at McDonald's. Sure it would have cheap lunch, but it wasn't on the boardwalk, I didn't know how many hours I could be guaranteed, and TONS of project people work there.
So I walk in to McDonald's, start filling out an application, and while I'm in the process of filling it out, the manager offers me and three other people a job. Without even glancing at our applications.
But I didn't want to work at McDonald's. This all happened on Wednesday, and I had until Friday to decide. So I said to myself, "Keep looking as hard as you can, and you will be able to find a job. Just follow up your applications hard." I don't know if you caught that, but I was relying almost solely on my own logic and my own power.
Friday rolls around and I still don't have another offer. However, I prayed for guidance and wisdom on Thursday night, and asked that God help me rely on His strength and reasoning for this search. During the morning, I send out a text to some people who came on project last year asking to give me some wisdom. I figured they would know better than me. I also talked to my discipler.
What I heard from them really humbled me. Almost all of them told me to take the job at McDonald's. BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO! That is not what I had planned for my Ocean City experience. I mean it wouldn't be horrible, but surely this was not the way I wanted it to go. Then a friend asked me a question about me turning down McDonald's: "Is He saying no or is Danny saying no?"
Dang, it was definitely me saying no.
Also, if you remember before, I was talking about how well I know myself. I thought that I would be super fly at a job without other project people. But then some other friends brought up the benefits of having other people at the same job hold you accountable. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I would actually need that. At other jobs, it would be so easy to shy away from spiritual conversations and have nobody know about it.
Dang, I thought I knew myself.
This was a very humbling lesson of surrendering control to God. He is going to have His way, which sounds bossy and selfish. But that is amazing thing about love. He loves us so much that He makes it all work out for our good. So no matter what I think is better or safer for me, I can surrender that to Him because He knows infinitely more than me. Infinitely. Still trying to wrap my head around that.
So, yes, I'm working at McDonald's! And I actually feel really good about it.
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