Two days ago, when my husband and I attended the 8th talk of the Christian Life Program for Couples for Christ, I can’t help but cry when I heard and sang the song, In His Time. It has been quite a while since I heard that song. I think the last time I sang it was when I was in fifth grade! It is a very old church song and a very simple song. So why did I cry? Well, I thought at that time that the lyrics were trying to console me and assure me that all our prayers will be answered in His time. You see, I am starting to get impatient.
Migrating and settling in another country, where most people have different backgrounds and the culture and practices are different from the place I grew up with, is no easy task. It also did not help that when we got here, the global recession was at its peak. Australia was not exempted from experiencing the financial crisis. So to make the long story short, we had a rough start.
Day in and day out barely a month after we got here, my husband has applied for different jobs in his field of expertise, as advertised in the different job search websites. He always gets a response which always included the phrases – we’re sorry or unfortunately. But Alvin didn’t give up. Though I knew he was still worried, he was so good at keeping it from me. He has handled the pressure with much grace. At night, when Liam is asleep and I still see him looking for work, after a hard day’s labor, my heart goes out for him. In silence, I cry for him, and in silence too, I pray for him. I prayed and continue to pray that the good Lord blesses his heart. That he continues to have faith and never tire of trying. I think God must love me very much because to date, I haven’t seen any signs of weakness or sadness on Alvin’s part, even if he had unsuccessful job applications or worse, passing the initial screening but not making it after an interview.
The most recent one was when he was called to have another job interview for Coca-Cola Australia. We thought that this job is the one. We prayed hard for it. We always remained positive. But two days ago, we received the bad news that he didn’t make it again for the next round of interview. When I read the mail, my heart crushed. But Alvin’s? Nope, he remained positive. It is but normal to feel bad and sad, and he was in fact sad, but like what I mentioned a while ago, he knew how to handle disappointments. Seeing how he reacted and accepted the decision made me realize that I shouldn’t feel bad as well even though I had questions raised again and felt that my “boat was being rocked.” His optimism saved the day.
And so I am singing in my heart again the song that made me cry a few days ago. I don’t know what is in store with us now. I don’t know if his interview this coming Friday will finally be it. But the past experience allowed me to have a change of heart. Instead of praying, “Lord, may this job be it” I am now praying “Lord, if this is the job you have prepared for him, then so be it.” May His will be done...in His time.
