So you feel stuck in a miserable job with a bunch of gossiping coworkers? Maybe the work you are doing is completely unfulfilling and you dread Monday every single week. Possibly you love your job, but know it really isn’t what you are called to do, and you long to do something bigger with your life. No matter where in the spectrum you may fall, God has placed you precisely where you need to be.

There are times when I love my job as a math teacher at a public high school. However, there are also days where I wonder if I took the right path. If you know anything about my story, being a teacher was absolutely the furthest thing in my mind. I even remember walking the halls of my high school, as a high school student wondering why anyone would ever want to be a teacher. Life is funny like that. I have learned though, that no matter where you are in life, God has a plan exactly where you are.

This week I have been helping with our church’s VBS and we have been doing the story of the Israelites; their escape from slavery, some of the time spent in the wilderness, and crossing over into the promised land. As you well know, this story means a great deal to me (see my book Finding God in the Wilderness). Honestly, after the extensive time I spent pouring through this story during my time of writing that book, I thought I had probably exhausted that particular story of any new revelations, but God always finds a way to reveal something new.

As I have been thinking about Moses throughout the week, I thought a little further back in the story. I thought back to the fact that Moses had grown up in that very palace. He knew the ins and outs of royalty, the pharaoh, and leadership. He was specifically put in that place, I believe to help equip him for his future role as leader of an entire nation of Israelites. When he first found out that he was not an Egyptian, I am sure he was confused. He probably wondered why was he not serving as a slave like his relatives? I believe he felt guilty about it. You can tell because in the story he suddenly jumps to the defense of the Israelites and even ends up killing an Egyptian (see Exodus 2). Talk about an identity crisis. God knew the greater plan though.

In our own life, God also knows. I truly believe that He knows our exact circumstances. He places us with people who will help us grow, even if it is in unconventional ways. Sometimes our growth comes from a super supportive friend who walks the same path as us. More often, at least in my life, that growth comes from being around people who don’t think like me. I have had to grow through hurt feelings, frustrating circumstances, and let downs. Although I almost hate to admit it, that kind of growth sticks more. When I have had my feelings hurt or have been let down, it gives me a greater compassion for others going through similar situations. The idea of the golden rule (treating others how you want to be treated) becomes a higher priority when you have experienced not being treated well.

So, my challenge to all of us boils back down to trust. Can we trust that God really is in control? Can we trust that no matter how we feel, there is a greater plan? Can we also look to the people around us and find the the good, and overlook some of the bad? Can we believe, just like Moses, that we are specifically placed for a greater calling (even if that calling may not happen for another 40 years)? I am sure gonna try!

 “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 hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11