He Prepared My Path

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

When I was 22, I interviewed for a secretarial job. I only went to the interview because a friend knew the owners of the company and knew they were looking for help. I knew it was time to make some decisions about a career, but I never wanted to be a secretary. My mom had been a secretary her whole life, and nothing sounded less exciting to me than the job she had. But something compelled me to go to the interview.

I frankly knew nothing about interviewing for a job. My parents were away on a vacation to Germany, and I did not consult with them about this. My clothes were not carefully chosen. I didn’t even wear makeup that day. The three senior partners and I sat in a small circle of folding chairs in an office. I was not nervous, because I did not particularly want this job and did not care how the interview went.

I don’t remember all about that hour, but I do remember asking them what the job would entail. They told me I would have to type—a lot. I said that I could type, but I really hated it. They told me I would have to answer phones—several lines could be ringing at once. I said that I would be very unnerved and confused by that commotion. They told me I would have to file documents and such. I said that I didn’t know how to file, and this didn’t sound like the job for me.

They told me I was hired. I said that I would have to talk it over with my parents when they returned from Germany. (Lest you think I was just a big baby, the reason was because I was quitting school and wanting to head in a new direction, and they didn’t know about it.)

Why they offered me a job after such an interview, was a mystery to me for many years. The job, which I accepted, paid enough to let me move away from home, was an excellent training ground for the future things the Lord had planned for me (which were, of course, unknown to me at the time), and the seven years I spent there were years I now point to as a time of great growth in the Lord and in life.

Sometimes the Lord just has to bust through our thick head. He knows what is best. I would not have chosen that path, but the Lord chose it for me. He prepared the way, shined a great big light on the door He wanted me to walk through, and invited me in. All I did was step over the threshold. He worked on the hearts of those Christian men who hired me, and prepared them to receive me. I tried my best to be sure it didn’t work out, but that didn’t stop God at all. He knew His plans for me. He made sure I was right where I needed to be.

Father, sometimes we are so ignorant of Your will for us. Break through, Lord. Don’t let us go the wrong way. Open the doors and push us through them if necessary, so that we are right where You want us. We know Your plan is perfect. Amen.