At last! I can share our big news with the world!
(Again. Not pregnant…)
My brilliant husband was offered a job at Clemson University!
(Much fanfare!)
We’re moving to South Carolina!
(Fanfare increases!)
Before I will fill you in on all of the God-filled details, let me give a bit of history.
(Fanfare immediately shushes.)
We moved to Gainesville, Florida, (go Gators!) in June 2013 for my husband to pursue his doctorate in biology. It was the only school (of two) to accept him, so we headed south. Fast forward five-and-a-half years, and now we’re in our second home with two adorable goobers. A lot has changed.
After graduation in May, the husband scored a one-year post-doctoral position at the University of Florida. He was be-bopping along quite nicely, and it began to look like we’d be in Gainesville for awhile. Instead of being the “we came here for grad school, now we’re moving on” people, maybe we’d become the “we came here for grad school 23 years ago” people.
See: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand,” Proverbs 19:21. Next to this verse, I have “Man plans; God laughs.” penciled into my Bible, quoting my mother.
We were happy and content. We made plenty of friends. We loved our house. My husband liked his job. I started telling people it looked like we’d be around for awhile.
In early December, my husband was offered a different post-doctoral position at UF. He decided it wasn’t what he wanted to do, but when he officially turned down the professor’s offer, she did something surprising. She basically flipped through her contacts and asked my husband if she could put him in contact with someone else who could give him a job. When he told her we want to stay in the Southeast (there are many more genetic research job opportunities in the Pacific Northwest or New England areas), she had one contact in a geographically pleasing location: Clemson, South Carolina.
She emailed her colleague (my husband’s future boss, whom I’ve dubbed “Dr. Scientist,” though, not to his face…obvs). My husband sent his CV. The next day, there was a phone interview. It went exceedingly well.
Over Christmas, we decided to visit Clemson, as we were already farther north in Alabama. I wasn’t about to blind-move my whole life to a new state. I felt God give me a little squeeze and a gentle chuckle as we could barely see past the highway because of a very thick fog on the one afternoon we had driving through the area.
An in-person, two-hour meeting between my husband and Dr. Scientist went very well. I wouldn’t actually know, as I entertained my two-under-4 by riding the lab building’s elevators up and down, running up and down the hallways, and jumping up and down five flights of stairs.
About a week later, my introvert of a man endured two solid days (meals included) of interviews and people-meeting while I wo-manned the homefront. He was exhausted after the seven-hour drive home, but, again, everything went well.
And then something obnoxious happened. Remember that sweet, little government shutdown? Well, when your potential job depends on a government-funded grant and the government decides to stop working, everything is put on hold. (Wait, wait, wait…)
During the waiting, The Hubs was invited again to drive seven hours to give a short talk and meet even more people. We decided to load up the minivan, invite Grandma, and make a house-hunting weekend of it!
Ten houses and two days later, my husband’s meetings went very well, and everyone seemed excited to get him on board. We decided to put an offer on a house, contingent on the job offer. This seemed a bit extravagant and impetuous, but smart? Hopefully? It also felt very…adult. And, again, impetuous.
And so, we headed home without a job offer.
It’s hard to wait, y’all. I know some people wait for years and years for things to happen or for something to change. I haven’t been, uh, “blessed” with that kind of character-building challenge yet. Maybe God is building up to that. (Yay?)
I have these verses on index cards, and I just kept relying on these truths:
Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. – Proverbs 16:3
The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. – Proverbs 16:9
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! – Psalm 27:14
You know what I want? The Lord to establish my plans and my steps. You know what I want to be? Courageous. Oh, and strong. Strong and courageous. I want to be known as a woman who courageously waits for the Lord to move in her life.
And God came through. Yesterday, during Bible study of all places, my husband texted that he was given the job offer—a full four days before Dr. Scientist said he’d make his decision. Our waiting was over. It’s time to turn the page.
Currently Reading:
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly – I’m trying my best to get through this quickly! I’ll be around for one more book club (sad face!), so I want to do all I can to finish out my commitment.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo – This is THE book to read before making a move!
0 thoughts on “The Waiting Is Over!”