I love going back and rereading posts every now and then. It's so cool to see how God has been faithful and generous when I didn't deserve it and how much he is growing me over time. 4 months ago I was desperately looking for a job and about to start applying to the one place I swore I never would work: a coffee shop. Gasp! (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE coffee, but I do NOT want to make it for a living......didn't I just post something about too much "I want/don't want...."?)
Honestly, I hadn't scratched the surface when it came to "pounding the pavement" but I was totally out of my element and had no idea what I was doing. ("What?!" You say. "That's not the FIRST thing they teach you in the music department??")
I had interviewed and been graciously told no by one of my last picks. My mom told me this during a phone conversation as she was sitting at home and I was on a train from NYC to Connecticut after one of the longest (though amazing) 48 hours of my life........I was ready to throw a 3 year old size temper tantrum in the middle of that train's floor (and those things are filthy if that tells you anything). I was physically and emotionally exhausted and was beginning to worry if I was ever going to find employment.
Let's be honest, who wants to hire a Singer with a BA in Music Ministries?
Dramatic? Yes. Valid as I'm looking down the barrel of a VERY expensive car repair and student loans? VERY.
I think this is one of those moments where God is looking at me with a smile on his face but shaking his head a the same time thinking "Would you just get a grip and trust me." Little did I know what He had planned for me 3 days later.
I got back from Connecticut exhausted in every possible way. We had gone non-stop the entire time and one of my best friends got married and I wasn't going to be able to see her everyday like I was used to. I missed her already. Basically, I probably wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. That night, I was checking email, Facebook, etc. and got this undeniable feeling that I should check my Belhaven email. I hadn't been a student there for 2 months so I knew there wasn't going to be anything, but I couldn't shake this feeling like I needed to check it for some reason. That's when what I call my "Mary Poppins Moment" happened.
There was an email through the chair of the music department from a local school that was looking for a music teacher. I knew the school, it was a lot like the one I grew up at. Now, something you have to know is that about a year before this my dad and I were talking in the car....just the two of us. He was the only one I had this conversation with and it went something like this:
"Blakeney, if you did teach, what would be your ideal situation"
"Probably like something I grew up in: Small, Christian school that really wanted a music program but one that wasn't so established that I couldn't tweak it. Really, I'd love to be able to set up/ make my own curriculum."
And that was it. We didn't talk about it again and I had forgotten about it until I was sitting in an interview with the headmaster that sent the email the day before.
Remember that moment in Mary Poppins were the kids have made the list of what they want in a nanny but it's torn up and thrown in the fireplace then Poppins shows up and reads it word for word to them? Yeah, this moment was like that. As I sat in that interview, Everything I had asked for was being listed to me. I couldn't believe it! Within a week I had a job as a Music teacher in a small christian school where I was writing my own curriculum.
This job has been a daily reminder that not only does my Heavenly Father love me, He takes delight in showering me with the desires of my heart....even the ones I didn't realize were there.
