Providential Timing

I want to tell a brief story about providential timing. But before I do, I want to first make a separate point.  I think it's presumptuous to think too highly of a job that I haven't even started yet.  I would never say that this position is my "dream job".  It's too soon, too optimistic to say such things.  And, it's not in my personality to speak in such superlatives.  But, on paper, theoretically, I think it presents an intriguing possibility for me. About a year ago, when I went through the exercise of listing out a random list of things I'm passionate about, I wrote down things like: sports, technology, learning new things, solving problems, and sharing ideas.  When I went through the strength finder's exercise, I found out that some of my strengths are: learner (developing an expertise), and input (acquiring new information).  This job would address these strengths and passions. So, as I was six months ago when I started my temp position, I am "cautiously optimistic" that this will be a good opportunity for me.

Story #1 on providential timing: Several things had to happen for me to get the temp position in August 2012.  First, after quitting my job in February 2012, I had to be lazy enough (or still searching enough) to remain unemployed for 6 months.  Second, if you remember, I back-filled for a friend who was pregnant and taking maternity leave for a fixed time.  So, my friend had to be pregnant at the exact moment when I was looking for a job.  And, her supervisors had to approve bringing on someone to replace her while she was out.  And, she had to tell me about the opening.  Third, in June, I had also applied to a city government position.  But their hiring process had to be slow enough that I was offered and accepted the temp job first, literally days before receiving a call from the city government asking if I was interested in working there.

Story #2 on providential timing: Several things had to happen for me to get the full time position in February 2013.  First, the opening was made available because someone who had been working there for 5+ years decided to move to another job, exactly at the time my temp job was ending and I was looking for a full time position.  Second, there was another less attractive job that I was initially offered in late January, but the hiring process for that was delayed for just enough time that I was able to apply for this other position without having to commit.  Third, there was an external position that I had applied to in December and I got all the way to the final round of interviews, but the position was given to another person, freeing me to take this job.

Some may say this providential timing.  Others may call it plain luck.  Either way you look at it, it should give me the motivation to be humble and thankful, because it wasn't because of my concerted planning or deep ambition that things worked out.

This is tangentially related, but I'm reminded of Steve Jobs' famous Stanford Commencement speech of 2005, when he said that you can't "connect the dots" looking forward, you can only "connect the dots" looking backwards.



Jobs didn't know that all these little events and activities early on in his life would prove to be beneficial to him years later.  He says that you need a kind of faith to follow your heart and trust that the dots will connect in the future, even when you don't see it connecting in the present.  Only with the benefit of hindsight and perspective, can he see how everything fell into place.  I think Christians would agree in part with what Jobs had to say.  But whereas others may place their faith in an idea like karma or destiny or in trusting their own gut, we Christians place our faith firmly in Christ, someone who is worthy of receiving the full weight of our trust.