job hunting.

"sometimes life throws you lemons."
- my buddy dan after stealing my SkyMall magazine on a flight to atlanta.

upon quick review, this comment makes no sense. it's a haphazard mashing of two common phrases: "sometimes life throws you a curveball" and "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade." however, this nonsensical mashing seem to be spot on how i feel about my life right now.

my plan for the future was thrown a serious curveball on monday. i got a phone call notifying me that my past church of employment doesn't have the money to pay for an internship for me this upcoming year. i've been planning on this as my first step out of college for the last 3 years, so it's a rather tough pill to swallow.

i got off the phone and was flooded with uncertain questions about my immediate future. questions i still don't konw the answers to 5 days later. i emailed and called some of my closest friends and relatives to notify them of the situation, and with every contact i got sadder and sadder about the situation. i was frustrated and annoyed and really scared.

then i realized that apparently this isn't the path God has for me. maybe it's in youth minstry, maybe it's doing video work, maybe it's neither - i have no idea - but He does and that's what is impotant. i also realized that crying and whining about it does nothing beneficial, so i decided to move on to step two: finding something else.

i'm still on step two. it's a bit of a thinker. it's also a bit of a multi-part step. i have to inform a bunch of people that i'm job hunting, decide which jobs are available and which i would be interested in, i have to figure out what one can do with a sociology degree, i need to decide to what degree i want to do youth ministry, video work, or any other job under the sun.

this is where the other phrase comes in: "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." my hope and prayer is that in the next few months some metaphorical lemon will find its way into my life. maybe someone knows of a job opportunity that i'd be perfect for, maybe it's working part-time in a coffee shop to pay the bils, maybe it's pursuing videography or maybe it's something i've never even considered before. regardless, i need to be on the look out, and when those lemons present themselves i hope and pray that i can grab hold of them, squeeze the heck out of them and make some terrific lemonade.

so there's hope here - this isn't necessarily a curveball - that's such a negative outlook on the sitch. it's also a huge lemon - that's how i'm going to look at it - as a terrific opportunity to find something out there that i love. its exciting from this perspective...no less terrifying, but exciting for sure.

i pray that it is out there and i hope that you'll pray with me. feel free to let me know if you have any ideas or know of any open opportunities. k thx bai.

-ap.