Surprise!

I don’t really like surprises. Being the person that I am, I prefer to know exactly what’s going to happen and plan accordingly.

Although I had prepared myself for the life we would face here in Canada, I was hopeful that it would be different for me. So it was a surprise that nine months after we arrived, I still couldn’t find a decent job. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that I would never have a career, much less a similar job to the one I had in the Philippines.

But God brought me into my field of human resources, even though I had to start again at the very bottom. He also blessed me with employers who funded my studies, and I finished not one but two certificate programs.

Just recently, I was able to reach the position that I had in the Philippines before I left. It took nine long years and I no longer expected it--but what a pleasant surprise.

Shortly after, I got accepted as a freelance writer for an online media company. To do something that I love and get paid for it--another wonderful surprise.

Forrest Gump says “Life is like a box of chocolates--you never know just what you’re getting.” Our parish priest calls it “divine unpredictability”. God works in ways we often don’t expect.

I will wait in joyful anticipation for the many more surprises God has in store for me.

All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17)