Stalled but not stagnant

In late 2016, I was getting anxious in my job and looking to move on. I was seeking a new opportunity to grow and challenge myself professionally including obtaining a better pay package. I also had targets to meet but with a lack of enough work, this seemed unattainable no matter how hard I worked.

In this time, I had a few interviews but they didn’t proceed to offers. I was feeling stagnant professionally. At the start of 2018, I took on a positive outlook and I was full of faith that I would rise to what I wanted- the right job offer! I had a list of requirements for the type of job I wanted and I was very keen to work in the City. I had worked with various recruitment agents since I started looking and initially, they all seemed enthusiastic until applications were made with no success. After a few applications, they suggested I lower my requirements. However, I knew what I wanted and what I was capable of and decided that lowering my requirements was not an option for me. My Pastor had once said that when a job comes, it wouldn’t be because of my CV and I held on to this Word.

Notwithstanding the rejections and the feeling of stagnancy that I felt, I continued to apply for new roles but also doing my best in my existing role. However, at some point during 2018, I stopped searching and just focused on the projects in front of me. I had worked on a particular project with my senior boss in 2015. The second part of this project was due to complete in early 2018 but due to circumstances beyond everyone’s control, it stalled and didn’t complete until the later part of the year. This project involved about seventy-eight different transactions, which had to happen simultaneously. As I was familiar with this project, I took charge of handling it. By God’s grace and with strength from him, I was able to complete it by the client’s tight deadline...doing this involved working overtime including some weekend sessions. In hindsight, I was stalled in my current job and God wanted me to be patient so He could catapult me into a different position. I leapt and rose in a way I wasn’t expecting with both clients and bosses singing my praises – ‘kings will come to see your radiance (Isaiah 60:3). My boss told me that I had made him and the company look good as the clients initially questioned the firm’s capability to handle such a large project and were proposing to give the work to a much larger company. Before December 2018, I was almost reaching my annual target and by the time I finished the project in December 2018, I had significantly exceeded the annual target. This same target that looked daunting at the start of the year. God erased the spirit of almost from me and he gave me the strength to carry out tasks that would have required a team.

Based on the exceeded target, I was given a gross commission of over 44% of my annual salary in one month and also received a pay rise in January 2019. I would have missed this opportunity if I had moved from my current role earlier. God’s plan for us is always more than we can imagine.

Following the completion of the 2018 project, I started to feel that God wanted me to leave my company with a bang and this project had done this for me. So earlier this year, I continued looking for a job. This year felt different, in that I secured more interviews than I had done the previous years. Although I made it to different stages, no offers were forthcoming. One specific rejection was quite difficult; as I thought the search was over being that I had finally made it to the final stage. After this rejection, I was debating whether or not to put my search on hold again. I eventually continued looking and a new role was advertised which I was hesitant to apply for as I was starting to find the whole process exhausting with no reward. However, I did apply for this role and was invited for a first interview.

The first interview went very well, I was relaxed and made to feel comfortable. God gave me the wisdom to answer all the questions put to me. Thankfully, I was invited for a second interview and I felt that this also went well. However, I tried not to be too expectant as a result of previous rejections. Following the second interview, I was offered the position and the company was willing to offer more than they would usually offer for my level. This company met all my requirements and I did not have to compromise as I had been advised to in the past.

Ecclesiastes 3 comes to mind… “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” I had been trying to move jobs since 2016 with no success. However, in that time, I have exceeded professional targets set and create a legacy in my first job that my bosses still spoke about up until my last day at the company. I gained significant confidence and experience for my professional career journey. More importantly, I grew in the Word and learnt to trust God even when things did not look right to me. Being patient and waiting has always been difficult for me but the more I have been tested, the more I have been able to learn. It is only by God’s Grace, strength and favour that I am where I am. Jeremiah 29:11 has always been my go-to - God’s plans for us are good plans for an expected end…When it was time, it was easy and straightforward!! I don’t know what He has planned next but I’m happy to wait and rest in Him whilst He continues the good work that He has started. At the same time, I am learning that my growth and successes are not solely for me but for the Glory of the Lord and I am learning every day to put God above everything else. There is a reason God places us in specific positions and in spending time with him, we understand His plans for us.