I remember several years ago when my career was just in the doghouse.

I had passed seven different Microsoft(R) tests and to reward me for my hard-work the universe decided to force me into telemarketing sales. It was 2007 and all the technical support positions had gone overseas and for the life of me I could not find a job in the field which I had prepared myself and hoped to continue in and be a success in.

A man at the sales job was kind enough to give me some advice. He was in a similar position as he was a missionary from Japan but he was doing this sales job in Chicagoland just to make ends meet! He told me about his college graduation where the speaker was encouraging everyone to, “Bloom wherever they were planted”.

This did NOT sit well with me. I did not want to bloom where I was planted as I had my eyes on a goal.

I had a belief that I was going to accomplish my dreams and not be a wandering generality. I felt that being in sales was a waste of time. A life of being an expert in computer systems and software was what I saw as my path to financial success and meaning. It may not sound very glamorous, but I enjoyed being the expert and quite frankly, techies know how to have fun and party!!!!!!

However, I tried. I tried to put aside those feelings of resentment and do the best I could where I was. I found myself making sales! I found myself respected by the managers and those around me. I made some friends. I found myself not hating everyday and time went by and I actually learned something.

I did try and make something else happen for me. I did do some studying to keep myself current. I did try to keep my brain active. I did go on some interviews for technical support jobs and related areas. However, for what seemed like an eternity, nothing worked.

You maybe in a season like that yourself. You may hate where you are. You may see yourself accomplishing something else in life. You maybe trying to get someplace, yet all you have is a dead-end job that you just need for some money. You may even feel that the Lord wants you there, despite how much you hate it.

I heard a saying by Joel Osteen that I think is Biblical and helped me. It went, “You maybe praying for a change, but sometimes the Lord is more interested in changing YOU than your circumstances” (Sorry I do not have a reference source for this as I got off of one of his calendars). Now, I know that the Lord can change you in a snap of His “fingers”, like He did Paul. But for most of the other people in the Bible,  change came through hardship and faith. I would point to the examples of David or Joseph or Moses or even Abraham. David had to wait many years, running from Saul in the desert. Joseph had to spend 8 years in jail! Moses had to wait 40 years after killing a man. Even Abraham had to wait many, many years to receive Isaac.

They had to learn faith and obedience to the Lord but they did not waste their time. Joseph met many people in Pharaoh’s court and spent time cultivating the good graces of the Prison Warden (just like Andy Dufrane in The Shashank Redemption).  David spent many years building the trust of his men and various leadership skills. Abraham and Moses built successful businesses and the Lord prepared them to speak to kings.

So please, even if your dreams have not all come true, look around you and take a look at what you do have and you do have access to. Don’t waste any opportunities you have and take what you do have and ask the Lord to bless it.  It will make the time go faster and you may even be able to apply what you learn in the wilderness when your dreams do come true. Finally, have some faith that the Lord hears your cries! Bloom!

Ephesians 5:16 …Making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

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