What an incredible Spring Break! I spent the week in DC, visiting friends, seeing the sights, etc. But the central event of the trip was my Foreign Service Officer Oral Assessment. If you don't know how the selection process works for this position in the State Department, I'll try to make this quick and clear. It's a multi-step process. The first step is a written exam, given every spring. If you pass that, you get to move on to the Oral Assessment round. If you pass that, there's a security clearance/background check, a medical exam, and an optional language exam. Then, after all that, you get put on an eligible candidate list where you can wait up to 18 months for a position. If 18 months pass and you have not received an assignment, you have to reevaluate your career decision and either start the process all over again or find something else to do.
Last week, I completed and passed the Oral Assessment. Now, I'm waiting for my security clearance to go through. I don't forsee any trouble there, and the medical exam won't be a problem. My next hurdle will be passing the Spanish phone interview. I'll have to practice over the next couple months to get up to speed. That will bump me up on the eligibility list and increase my likelihood of getting an assignment. Otherwise, it's just a waiting game.
I'm really trusting God with the whole process though. I can't imagine that he would bring me this far, with so little effort on my part, for it not to work out. When I first discovered the Foreign Service last January, I had a hunch it was the right job for me. So far, it seems my intuition has been accurate. I can't take any credit for it though; all I can claim is trusting the Lord and following his direction.
More than anything, I want God to be glorified in this. I want his will to be done in my life. If it means not getting an assignment, then I just know there's something better for me. I am always amazed at how easily and smoothly things work out when I stop trying to do everything myself and just surrender all to God. He answers my prayers and gives me peace. What more could I need?
Monday, March 27, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
On the Hunt. . .
The hunt for a job, that is. One of the tips I learned at the Women's Campaign workshop a couple weeks ago was that a candidate should spend four hours a day fundraising. While looking for a job, I really think a serious job seeker probably spends four hours a day searching for openings, contacting people, editing her resume, writing cover letters, and following up on submitted applications. In other words, I've had time for little else.
The problem is that my MA thesis is due in less than two weeks, and I can't stop job hunting long enough to get a decent chapter written. Perhaps this is my newest procrastination technique. Really though, I have a hard time focusing on my thesis because I know I have an interview coming up or an application deadline. At the same time, I have a hard time engaging in my job search because I know I need to be writing that paper.
I think the best way for me to handle this is to just put aside the job stuff until after I submit my thesis. Easier said than done. I much too future-oriented to concentrate only on the immediate needs. I have a real gift for getting things done at the last minute, and doing them well. Perhaps it's more of a curse than a gift, but it works for me. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right? Or is it more important to develop consistency than to just get stuff done?
Of course there are other things that could benefit from a more incremental approach. Like training for a marathon. That is absolutely something I cannot do a week before the race. I have to build a foundation, develop strength and stamina, train my body to operate efficiently over that entire distance. Running a marathon is something I've wanted to do for a while, but I can never stick to a training program long enough to get to race day. This fall I ran a half-marathon, and seriously, I hadn't run more than 5 miles to prepare. And the two weeks prior, I had only run 2 miles 3-4 times. I finished the race in 2:10, not bad for a lazy sop who refuses to train. But, at the end of the 13 miles, I could not imagine running another 13 to complete a marathon.
In regards to job hunting, I just have to trust the Lord and stop worrying that I'll miss an opportunity while I'm finishing school. He has a job prepared for me already. I just have to keep on the lookout for it, AFTER I write my thesis. He understands what I'm doing. He put me here in grad school for a reason. I just need to focus in on this, deal with the task at hand, and believe that God will lead me into the destiny he has planned.
The problem is that my MA thesis is due in less than two weeks, and I can't stop job hunting long enough to get a decent chapter written. Perhaps this is my newest procrastination technique. Really though, I have a hard time focusing on my thesis because I know I have an interview coming up or an application deadline. At the same time, I have a hard time engaging in my job search because I know I need to be writing that paper.
I think the best way for me to handle this is to just put aside the job stuff until after I submit my thesis. Easier said than done. I much too future-oriented to concentrate only on the immediate needs. I have a real gift for getting things done at the last minute, and doing them well. Perhaps it's more of a curse than a gift, but it works for me. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right? Or is it more important to develop consistency than to just get stuff done?
Of course there are other things that could benefit from a more incremental approach. Like training for a marathon. That is absolutely something I cannot do a week before the race. I have to build a foundation, develop strength and stamina, train my body to operate efficiently over that entire distance. Running a marathon is something I've wanted to do for a while, but I can never stick to a training program long enough to get to race day. This fall I ran a half-marathon, and seriously, I hadn't run more than 5 miles to prepare. And the two weeks prior, I had only run 2 miles 3-4 times. I finished the race in 2:10, not bad for a lazy sop who refuses to train. But, at the end of the 13 miles, I could not imagine running another 13 to complete a marathon.
In regards to job hunting, I just have to trust the Lord and stop worrying that I'll miss an opportunity while I'm finishing school. He has a job prepared for me already. I just have to keep on the lookout for it, AFTER I write my thesis. He understands what I'm doing. He put me here in grad school for a reason. I just need to focus in on this, deal with the task at hand, and believe that God will lead me into the destiny he has planned.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Tears for Africa
I showed The Constant Gardener the other day for my students. I've already seen the film, but I always manage to get choked up. I just can't comprehend what it must be like to live everyday in those conditions. It is such a beautiful film about such an ugly topic. One of the characters comments that aid in Africa is how the industrialized expiates their guilt. No body really cares about the thousands of people who die everyday throughout the continent. The same character exclaims that the "pharmaceutical companies are as bad as the arms dealers."
In trying to sort out what I want to do with my life, I just can't get away from these stories and images. It makes me wish I had gone to medical school - somehow that would make me useful. But then I think about the parable of the talents. The point of Jesus' teachings in that story is that it doesn't matter how much you have, but what you do with what you have that matters. I can't lament over the fact that I don't have a law degree or a medical degree. Rather, I have to trust that God is putting me in the circumstances that fulfill his purpose for my life, and that he is equipping me to do his will.
Falling into that trap of, "I can't really do anything important until ____ ( I have a job, I get married, I have my own place, I have more money, I have more free time, etc. etc. etc.)," is really just preventing me from accomplishing what I can do now. Again, it reminds me of the parable of the talents (if you want to read it for yourself, follow this link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:14-30). The servant who buried his talent claims to have acted out of fear. The master is no less displeased when the servant tries to explain this. For me, today, the moral of this story is: Don't be afraid to use what God has given you. He has blessed me with an array of talents and skills, I just have to apply them for his glory. So, what am I going to do today to try and help alleviate these problems that are so compelling?
In trying to sort out what I want to do with my life, I just can't get away from these stories and images. It makes me wish I had gone to medical school - somehow that would make me useful. But then I think about the parable of the talents. The point of Jesus' teachings in that story is that it doesn't matter how much you have, but what you do with what you have that matters. I can't lament over the fact that I don't have a law degree or a medical degree. Rather, I have to trust that God is putting me in the circumstances that fulfill his purpose for my life, and that he is equipping me to do his will.
Falling into that trap of, "I can't really do anything important until ____ ( I have a job, I get married, I have my own place, I have more money, I have more free time, etc. etc. etc.)," is really just preventing me from accomplishing what I can do now. Again, it reminds me of the parable of the talents (if you want to read it for yourself, follow this link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:14-30). The servant who buried his talent claims to have acted out of fear. The master is no less displeased when the servant tries to explain this. For me, today, the moral of this story is: Don't be afraid to use what God has given you. He has blessed me with an array of talents and skills, I just have to apply them for his glory. So, what am I going to do today to try and help alleviate these problems that are so compelling?
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Can't Live With 'Em, Can't Live Without 'Em
I was supposed to go on a date tonight with this guy from work. This is like the third attempt and he just keeps finding reasons (at the last minute) why he can't make it. If he's really not interested, then why the heck does he say things like, "let me take you to dinner this week," and "it would be my pleasure to take you out"? I'm thinking it's all just a way to fill some need he has to ensure some female attention. I guess I just can't expect for him to follow through. The real kicker is that I know he's not the type of guy I want to date. So am I stringing him along by continuing to flirt and not rejecting his dinner requests?
After meeting Geir this Christmas, every other guy seems dull in comparison. Unfortunately, Geir is happily married. But it does give me hope that God has someone even better for me. It's hard for me to imagine anyone more perfect, but I'm just trusting the Lord.
Why is there such a shortage of men who know what they stand for? My dad tells me not to let guys "invite me into their confusion." If a man doesn't really know what he's all about, why does he expect me to clear it up for him? I have my own interests and goals. I just want someone to be a partner in those pursuits.
Of course, faith is the most important characteristic. I had great examples of godly leadership from a group of male friends in high school. I think their all married now. I have yet to meet a man that impresses me that much (with the exception of Geir).
I'm tired of waiting though. I want to trust God with this, but I'm getting inpatient. Pretty soon, I'll be the last woman standing without a man among my group of closest friends and sorority sisters. Maybe that shouldn't bother me, I'm not really one to fit the mold. Sometimes, when the woman is truly exceptional, it just takes a little while for a man to measure up.
After meeting Geir this Christmas, every other guy seems dull in comparison. Unfortunately, Geir is happily married. But it does give me hope that God has someone even better for me. It's hard for me to imagine anyone more perfect, but I'm just trusting the Lord.
Why is there such a shortage of men who know what they stand for? My dad tells me not to let guys "invite me into their confusion." If a man doesn't really know what he's all about, why does he expect me to clear it up for him? I have my own interests and goals. I just want someone to be a partner in those pursuits.
Of course, faith is the most important characteristic. I had great examples of godly leadership from a group of male friends in high school. I think their all married now. I have yet to meet a man that impresses me that much (with the exception of Geir).
I'm tired of waiting though. I want to trust God with this, but I'm getting inpatient. Pretty soon, I'll be the last woman standing without a man among my group of closest friends and sorority sisters. Maybe that shouldn't bother me, I'm not really one to fit the mold. Sometimes, when the woman is truly exceptional, it just takes a little while for a man to measure up.
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