Waiting on a Miracle

I hear people talk about miracles... They tend to talk about miracles the same way they talk about magic--that's probably one reason hard-core scientists think science and God are in opposition—but miracles are not like magic. Unfortunately, that means you won't get instantaneous satisfaction or clean, easy solutions. On the bright side, miracles aren't like magic: they actually exist.

When I decided to finish my Masters and transfer schools, a lot happened and everything that happened, happened in very short amount of time. The first miracle that came out of this situation was the complete 180 in my view on my grades. I had earned mostly B's with a few B+'s and A-'s, but those weren't good enough for me to continue in the PhD program. I wasn't particularly happy and I wasn't making any progress. But when the drama unfolded within the department and I felt free to leave, those B's earned me a Masters. I had taken extra courses, in an attempt to raise my GPA, which weren't required for the PhD program, but gave me enough credits to graduate with a Masters. 

With only two months left in the semester, I had to figure out if I was transferring or if I was getting a job. I knew that transferring would be hard; applications should have been due in January or February, particularly for funding. Explaining why I took a Masters without a thesis wasn't going to make the job hunt easy, either. It was a long shot, but I decided to try both fronts. I applied for a job, and I contacted my undergraduate university about returning. It took a few weeks, but in record time, I had been accepted and offered funding to return to my home university where I could happily continue my studies. That was miracle number two.

Of course, I still had to get out of my lease and find a new place to live. My landlord told me if I could move out early (as in, by the end of the month), he was almost certain he could re-lease my apartment and get me out of my lease.  So I struck the deal, figuring the worst-case scenario was that I had to move all my stuff home and then to school. I devoured the internet looking for a potential new apartment and was greeted by places that required roommates, wouldn't fit my furniture, were out of my price range, and/or were already leased to capacity. I took three days (one day to drive home, one day to check out apartments, and one day to drive back to finish out the Masters program) to secure a new apartment. Only one place was "perfect"--reasonably priced, no roommate necessary, and all my furniture would fit. They had one apartment left, and the move in date was the last day of the month. It was perfect. That was miracle number three.

Flash forward to present day, and as life always does, things begin to fall apart again. In June, I got a notice that my apartment rent would increase by a whopping $100 a month if I chose to renew my lease, and I had to let them know my decision by the end of the month. I had forseen this change when the property switched management, and not to be taken off guard, had already begun looking for a new place. The place I'd had in mind was farther away, but cheaper, and just as nice. I'd spoken to a lady who had assured me that they always had availability, and now, all that was left was to go back a set a date. Except, when I went back, they didn't have any availability. Back at square one, I reopened the hunt for an apartment. In a long-shot effort I checked out a set of condos by the lake. I wasn't sure they rented. I was positive they were out of my price range. It turned out that they were larger, nicer, closer, and cheaper. And they had exactly one availability.

All my life, I've been able to look back and see that God was working miracles in every situation. There was bad, there was ugly, and there was downright unfairness stalking my heels. I guess I could have given up at any point. I could have doubted, but I knew that if I didn't give up, I would get to something better.

About a month ago, when I originally felt the urge to write this post, I got a call from a recruiter at a major industry in my field. I was ecstatic that they had noticed my resume and wanted me to apply. This company is notorious for its grueling interview process and I had never thought about applying before the recruiter contacted me. I thought if I got the internship, it would make a good addition to the ideas that were shaping up for this post... Well, I didn't get the internship. But I got interview tips from one of the best companies in my field. I got to go through the interview process, and learned that it wasn't really that bad. And I started reframing my mind back to that of someone actively seeking a job. Rejection stings, nothing will ever change that, but just like the tests I failed that led to a Masters, and the increase in rent that led to a condo by the lake, I know that this is just another step in a carefully laid out plan He has for me. There's a miracle at the end of this chapter, too, I just have to be wait for it to be revealed.