The road to here

Yesterday I met my friend Matt for lunch in Springdale. I've known him for years; he was a student worker in our office at Tech when he was a freshman, and he was always one of my favorites. After college he married Angela, who was working for my former boss Dr. R, and now they have three beautiful children. But I digress.

After Matt and Angela got married, he moved to Siloam to work on a ministry degree, which led to a job, which led to everyone at JBU thinking he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

So when I interviewed for my current job and told my new boss, who happens to be Matt's former boss, that I knew Matt, the job was mine.

Granted, I had the skills and experience they were looking for and also had the endorsement of two other well-respected folks on campus (thank you, Susan and Ashley), but this was definitely a who-you-know situation. And I blame Matt for it, as I told him yesterday.

I've thought a lot lately about the road that led me here. I've always been an "everything happens for a reason" kinda gal, so I do try to take the bad times for what they are, an opportunity to learn and grow. But it's truly astounding to me how God used all of the time in my life, even the time when I was furtherest from His will, to prepare me for this job. I met Matt at Tech, I met Ashley and Susan at UAFS, and Dr R left Conway, so here I am. In an amazing place with a great job and an opportunity to continue my spiritual journey by integrating my faith in my work.

It's no secret that the Apostle Paul is my spiritual hero, and he was the poster child of God using someone's questionable past for His glory.

He does truly use ALL things--even the things that we shouldn't do--for His good. That doesn't mean that He condones the sin or living out of His will, but He can take all of the screw-ups, willful disobedience, and times of sinfulness and make something good out of it. He is sovereign, and He is in control.