Anna's Alcove

Let's do life together!

Tag: future

And so the adventure begins…

Welcome to my new site!! Here’s the story of how it got started and my plans and dreams for what it could become in the future:

Everything was going fine and dandy. I had just married the man I love, we had a wonderful, relaxing honeymoon in the Poconos and, with both of our full-time jobs, we were well on our way to paying off debt by the end of the year.

But it didn’t last long. The week after the honeymoon, I was back at my desk in the newsroom, trying to make some sense of the hundred or so emails I had received,  when I was called into the conference room. There the head editor and my boss gave me the bad news: the company was downsizing again and they were forced to cut my position.

As any normal person would be, I was bummed that I lost my job and the steady income, but I knew in the back of my mind that God has an ultimate plan in all of this…

.. but it was nice having the extra money.

Anyway, after spending a week getting our house set up and wedding gifts put away, I took the first step of job hunting, applied for unemployment and registered my name, email and resume with two career search sites: JobGateway.com and Monster.com.

In order to get job openings that you may be interested in, the sites recommend setting up “saved searches,” which are ongoing searches according to your pre-set career choice and where you would prefer to work. I set mine to “administrative assistant,” “writer” and “editor” near Doylestown and Quakertown and selected the daily email alerts option.

DSCN2507This was a helpful tool. I get emails every day, letting me know if there are new opportunities to apply for jobs in the area, but there are days where there is nothing new.

It is now week three, I’ve applied to at least 10-12 jobs and have either been told that they’re looking at more qualified candidates or haven’t heard anything back from them.

Then I got to thinking – what if this is my opportunity to get my dream of being a freelance writer, editor and photographer off the ground? I already have a blog that’s been an off-and-on thing since I was a junior in college and my husband created a website for me (ta-da!) to use as a foundation for freelancing and photography.

There’s so much a person can do with a writing major, including editing books and articles for publishing, so I’ll be writing weekly updates on my journey toward a career in freelance, as well as other wonderings and ponderings about life.

As I discover what works, what doesn’t work and how to establish your writing in the world of freelancing, I hope this becomes a helpful resource to those interested in a career in freelance writing.

Thanks for reading!

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Chosen

The birds are chirping and the sun is shining through your curtains. You open one eye, stretch lazily and smile. It’s a brand new day and, while the blankets are still surrounding you in a cocoon of coziness, you’re excited to get out of bed and head to work.

Why?

Because you managed to land your dream job fresh out of college! You wake up each morning knowing that you’re getting paid to do what you love!

Ok, ok, so maybe you haven’t quite gotten to that point.. but can you imagine what it must be like to work in the job of your choice, doing what you love and getting paid for it?

Seriously, take a moment and think about that. Imagine having a job so perfectly suited for your abilities that you genuinely look forward to getting to work every single day… what would you be doing if you had a choice?

Each person has a unique set of skills and abilities and there are certain things that come easily to some than for others. One person can be really good at computers, while another person can hammer out a paper, grammatically correct and all, in less than an hour. Or someone can be really good at helping people to solve relationship problems while still another person is good at creating beautiful pieces of art out of pretty much anything.

Is one better than the other?

Of course not. We’re all gifted in different ways for a reason, but that doesn’t make one person better than the next.

This past week, I was reading Exodus 31 (the last part of God’s instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai), and this part stuck out to me:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…
Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him.
Also, I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.”
(31:1-6)

Here’s what stuck out to me the first time I read this passage: God had gifted these men with the skill, ability and knowledge AND filled them with the Spirit of God to enable them to complete the task before them.

Yes, they were talented craftsmen who knew their work, but they were also selected and chosen by God to be skilled in these specific areas. They were granted divine wisdom in order to complete their assigned task.

Can you imagine what a difference it might make in your life if you knew that the God of the universe had selected you for a specific task?

Well, guess what?

He has!

In His overall plan, you are meant to play your part. You may feel insignificant at times or that your skill set is only so-so, but don’t give in to those lies! You are important and have a very significant part to play in the great picture of life!

While your dreams may seem so far-fetched that there’s no possible way for them to become a reality, or you may be stuck in a dead-end job with no forseeable way out, God does have a plan for your life… yes, you specifically… and nothing can ever get in the way of His sovereign will for you.

How do I know this?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:16

That’s the thing about God. When He makes a promise, He will follow through with it.

Just like He had selected and gifted Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus to create the furniture, ornaments and utensils for the Tent of Meeting, He has also selected and gifted you with a very unique set of skills and abilities in order to complete the task laid before you.

All that’s required of you is to trust,

have faith,

and to constantly seek after Him…

in ALL things 🙂

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

© 2024 Anna's Alcove

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑