At the end of January 2023, I embarked on a new journey. To be honest, I was completely unsure what the significance of this new journey might be or what God had in store for me. All I knew was I was out of any other options at the time. My past had been filled with illness and depression. The place I lived in did not help my physical or mental health. I was in the south and had not seen snow in years. It was as though I had been drawn into the desert, waiting on the Lord to lead me out of it in His time.
The time finally came; I purged all the weights I had accumulated over the years and left, ready for all things new. Throughout my entire trip, the clouds came and covered the sky, which seemed beautiful to me. I hate the sun. Midway through the journey, I woke up to the gentle presence of the purity of snowfall. I could feel a veil being lifted, as if God was turning a page in my life and showing me a new chapter. When I arrived at my destination, the ground was covered with white snow and the waters were frozen. I could let myself breathe again. At that point I was just thankful to be in a new place where new adventures were possible. What God really intended for me there was far greater than anything I could imagine.
I had been struggling with my current job, underpaid and under appreciated. I started an intense job search, but it was unlike any previous search for employment in my past, basically because I had no idea what I was looking for. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit did. My mother found a job posting for the local diocese and encouraged me to apply. Within 24 hours of applying for the job, I was called in for an interview. The first interview was spectacular, which might be an odd word to describe an interview, but as the interviewer asked me the standard questions, I became more comfortable in my answers. It was as though all the random jobs I held in the past prepared me for this one.
Over the course of the next month, I went through more interviews which caused some uncertainty for me, but also caused me to place more faith in the Lord. Toward the end of the interview process, I convinced myself I would not get the job. I began to mentally prepare myself to return to where I had come from, but then I was called back for a final time. To my surprise, I was asked to consider an even better position than the one for which I had applied.
All my life I have been searching for people who could really see me, not just in job interviews, but with friends, peers, even family members. I wanted to be seen for what I stood for, but more importantly for my devotion to the Catholic faith and the testimony I could present. I was never able to understand why I kept being overlooked until I was placed where I am now. This diocese “saw” me and wanted me to come and work for its Vicar General. Somehow, all my past actions were brought out during the interviews, even when I thought I had failed at portraying myself, because the Holy Spirit was at work.
The past few months have been nothing short of a miracle. Thanks to my spiritual director, I recognized that I am in a moment of transition, or better said, the in-between. The Lord has prepared me, He has illuminated, changed, and transformed my life. All of this has come together in a beautiful tapestry that I call my life. He has been present in every detail, and now these details have readied me for my next chapter. It will truly be an extraordinary adventure.
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Originally published at Kitty in the City
Photo: Unsplash, Darpan Dodiya / PD-US
