Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Sting of Rejection

Boy!  It has been over a year since my last post!  I have indeed been very busy!  I had so much reading and writing to do in order to complete my graduate classes that I just couldn't bring myself to blog.  But, the great news is that I graduated last month and am looking forward to making time to blog again!


I started applying for jobs earlier this month.  My first interview went okay, but I knew that they weren't going to call and make me an offer, and I would have turned them down if they did.  It just wasn't the school for me.  Last week I had another interview, and it went very well.  I liked the principal and assistant principal that interviewed me, and I truly felt that the school was somewhere that I would be happy and be able to make a difference in young lives.  I really was hoping and praying for an offer.  I followed up a few days later and was told that a decision hadn't been made yet but that I was on the short list.  I was very hopeful.  I prayed that night and thanked God for the opportunity and told Him that I really wanted the job.  I also told him that, if it was His will, to direct the principal to make me an offer.  I got a call yesterday from the principal.  He got straight to the point and told me that he had decided to go with someone with ten years experience, but that he was really impressed with me.  In fact, he said that he would call a fellow principal who was also looking for someone and recommend that he bring me in for an interview because he wanted me to work somewhere in his county.  I thanked him for taking time to call me and told him that I would appreciate it very much if he would make the phone call for me.  It wasn't the news that I had hoped for, but it wasn't really bad news either.  Why, then, did I have to fight back the tears and change the subject when my daughter asked me if that was the principal when I hung up the phone?  It was surely the sting of rejection!  The negative thoughts tried to invade my mind all evening.  Thoughts like:  What were you thinking going back to school and changing careers at your age?  Are you sure this was God's plan for your life?  So many experienced teachers from neighboring counties want to work in this county!  You will never get a job!


Finally, I said to myself, "Wait a darn minute!  These negative thoughts are not who I am!"  I remembered that I had prayed for God's will to be done, and I reminded myself that, if it had been God's will, He certainly would have made it happen.  Last night I thanked God again for the opportunity and told him that even though I didn't get the job that I knew the interview was preparation for the next one.  I told Him that I was choosing to trust Him to open the door that He wants me to walk through.  In the meantime, I will keep applying and waiting and praising Him for all that He is and the unbelievable love that He shows me every day.  I hope you will do the same!