Nothing to Bitch About

While we still haven't heard any word back from New England School (NES), where Hubby has verbally accepted a tenure-track job in his field, I am not complaining. I did find out yesterday that campus visits have been scheduled for the tenure-track position in my field at the same school, so the chances aren't great that they'll suddenly throw me in the mix for that one.

However, last Friday I received a request for additional materials from a school in Awesome Nearby Town (think chowder). The position I applied for wasn't tenure-track, but a Lecturer of Writing position, and the school's Writing Program is wicked intense. I've never seen one so extensive! They have requirements at the freshman and junior-level, and the courses cover several disciplines. The school actually has two spots open, so I'm cautiously hopeful at this point. The thing is, this would be a ridiculously amazing town to live near! And, even though it's only a lecturer position, it would be a fantastic university affiliation to have. Based on what I've seen on their web page, they don't use part-time lecturers or adjuncts. Rather, it looks like, because there are lots of people who are attracted to the area, the school is able to get very well-qualified PhDs (most of whom do not have rhet/comp backgrounds) to fill the lecturer spots, and these positions are renewed as long as the person is doing a good job.

Although I was disappointed to hear about the tenure-track job at Hubby's school falling away as an option, I'm not complaining. We're moving to a great area, where there are probably more schools per square inch of state than anywhere I can imagine. I'm also trying to take a piece of advice from this , which makes a good point about the importance of giving up things other than food (or Facebook, chocolate, coffee, etc.) for Lent. It seems like giving up complaining, bitterness, judgment, and worry would make for much more meaningful sacrifices. I also found the timing of my reading this piece more than coincidental.

You see, by the time Hubby went for his interview in New England Town (NET), I'd given up praying that he'd "get the job." That doesn't mean I didn't pray...I did. I prayed for him to do well, be his best, most confident self during his campus visit. But I didn't pray that he'd get the job. Instead, I gave it all up to God. Really and truly, I just stopped worrying about it and instead found solace in knowing that He has everything under control. I don't know what the future holds for us (not everything anyway), but I know that worrying about every possibility isn't getting me anywhere. It was shortly after this when Hubby got the news about the job. Coincidence? Who knows. All I know is that I have nothing to complain about. I have healthy kids, a new adventure ahead of me, and we're going to DisneyWorld in July! We've secured a real estate agent to help us find a home in our new area, and we've already been pre-qualified for a mortgage (both of these things are good to have in the pocket). Everything else will work out somehow...

Praying for Things

I've found myself with an odd question. I've always believed that prayer matters. In fact, I believe that prayer works miracles sometimes, not win-the-lottery kind of miracles, but save a life kind of miracles. Throughout my life, I've been in situations where there were some very important things up in the air (for example, finding childcare in a new state where I'd moved to start graduate school). I knew nobody and had limited financial and local resources. What did I do? I prayed, and then I took a leap of faith. I have often prayed to God for guidance, strength, the ability to make the right decision, or for the simple care and protection of my family. He has always answered those prayers.

Where I find myself at odds is that I also believe that God has a plan for me. I believe He knows how my life will unfold, despite the fact that I make my own decisions. I might be the one to choose the path, but He always knows what path that will be. Given these two sets of beliefs, it makes me wonder about the impact of praying for something specific, like a job. My interview tomorrow is for a job I would very much like to have (assuming a campus visit didn't turn up something awful). It's in my field, it's in a location where we could be reasonably happy, and we'd be relatively close-ish to my family. I'd love to have this job. But, can I really ask God to help me get this job? Does He answer prayers like that? I don't think so.

I think God has a plan for me, and it may or may not include this potential job. If it doesn't, then it seems like it would be silly for me to pray that I get this job. Now, I can totally see praying for strength and composure and all the things that would help me give a fantastic interview. But, something like "Please, God, let me get this job!" doesn't sound like something He wants to hear. What are your thoughts on prayers of this sort?