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Rejected again, the most painful of uncontrollable circumstances. One indelible memory I have, is my first time working again after being a stay at home mom for fourteen years. Recently divorced, I needed to get back into the work force. Although I had been very successful at bookkeeping in my twenties and thirties, I now was in my forties and knew none of the new computer programs. I only had basic skills, so I went to work for a temporary agency, it was very fast paced, and I alternately got praise and rejection. Unfortunately, all the companies that really liked me were in the process of closing out due to mergers. One particular job I loved was a merger of a hotel chain. It was in Vancouver, Washington, and being an Oregon Resident I traveled over the I-205 Bridge. It was over the Columbia River, a long looming waterway, with Mt Hood east in the Horizon. Each afternoon while driving home I would look to see Oregon’s most beautiful mountain. It would look different every day, depending on the amount of snow, drifting clouds and sun, which would paint the sky and cast down color on the most magnificent mountain I have ever seen. Sometimes it would stir memories of skiing and the tranquility of the snow on the surrounding landscape. I longed for those days when that mountain meant worry free fun. But sometimes driving home on a cloudy day it would appear not to be there at all. I would be disappointed. But I would remind myself that, like God, even though I couldn’t see it, the mountain was still there.
After the merger the offices closed, leaving me again looking for full time employment. I found a job, but after only two months I was fired, being told I wasn’t right for the job. I agonized, wondering if I would ever find a place that wanted me. The pain I felt was paralyzing me with fear. Finally, a few weeks later, I found what was to be a temporary job at a metals company. I fit so well I was hired after four months, and given a raise over five dollars an hour more than the job I had been fired from. Yes, God, just like that mountain, was still there. I learned to put my trust in what I couldn’t always see, His divine plan for my life. Rejection is the temporary hurt that frees us to receive God’s grace.
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