Saturday, 04 August 2012
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Braving the Real World
By Erin Bower, guest posting for Tom Zuniga
“Not all who wander are lost.”
I never knew just how much this quote of Tolkien’s would mean to me. As I graduated from college and embarked into ‘the real world’ at the end of 2007, my plans for the immediate future were to get some sort of teaching job, move out from under my parents’ roof, and hopefully get married a few years later. At that time, I had very little knowledge of what it was actually like to be an adult. After some job hunting and substituting, I finally landed my first teaching job. Very quickly, I realized that being in charge of mischievous elementary students and doing loads of tedious paperwork just wasn’t for me. In fact, as an introverted young lady with an overly creative brain, it was quite possibly the opposite of me. Quitting my first full time job was hard, but I knew it was the right thing to do.
This initially gave me a sense of freedom but with it came confusion. I knew what I didn’t want to do with my life but not what I wanted to do. All I could fathom is that I wanted to move away. This desire led me to Rome, GA where I acquired job experiences in retail, child care, and my first tutoring job. Some months later, due to financial reasons, I ended up living in my parents’ house again. After a few short months, I moved to Athens, GA. I enjoyed working in retail and other part time jobs, but before another year had passed, I was moving back home. It seemed that the cycle might continue, but God had other plans.
Throughout this past school year, I have continued to live in my hometown. I enjoyed tutoring high school students in math. Though it is only a part time job, I am very grateful for whatever income I can earn. In addition, this has allowed me time to work on my writing. Writing on various projects has allowed me to use the talent God has given me and is hopefully helping others in diverse ways.
Some might say I am still ‘wandering’, because I have not yet acquired a full-time position and remain unmarried. What I’ve realized is that every person has a different timeline, because we are all on separate journeys. To some it might seem that we are wandering without purpose, but God has placed us exactly where we’re meant to be within each moment of our lives. I know that without these struggles I could not relate to many others with similar problems. Also, I would not rely on God as much to provide exactly what I need. I pray that you, like me, continue wandering, growing, and seeking Him.
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About the Author
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- From: twoBex
- Name: TMZ
- Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
- About Me: I'm a 25-year-old tutor, writer, and restless wanderer. Check out my blog at http://thomasmarkzuniga.com. There may or may not be confetti and coffee involved.
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Comments (5)
I can understand how it is listening to people who ask if you have a "real" job yet or if you are thinking about marriage. Some who seem to be "settled" have settled for less than they really want in marriage or a job...some may even have taken that course to get others off their backs. Sadly, if we don't have faith or patience to work toward the desires of our hearts, we could all end up in a situation that drains us of our enthusiasm for life and drives us to seek unsavory means of satisfying that desire.
I hope you find those things God has intended for you - especially eternal life with Him.
i personally love to wander :)
I think it is interesting when people make all these choices about what they want to do and then blame it all on God:
"God has placed us exactly where we’re meant to be within each moment of our lives."Life is much more fulfilling when we understand that God has created us free beings. We get to design and create our lives and make our own choices.
God doesn't lead us around like a pig with a ring in its nose. He has made it so we are to use our native intelligence, wisdom and experience in constructing our very own choices.
I hope I continue wandering through life. I don't want to know all the answers, and I don't want to ever become complacent.
Amen!!! As I grew up, I always felt like I had life figured out. I would go to college, work at camp in the summers, met someone, get engaged, graduate, get married right after graduation, and immediately start working as a teacher while doing my masters and being a wife. Now here I sit two weeks away fromt he start of senior year of college and finally realized that I am "wandering". I had everything figured out until God called me to quit my summer job as a camp counselor. I started this summer scared and frustrated, not knowing where to work, how I was going to have money and on top of that sad that I had still not meant "the one" as I watched several friends get married. I've spent my summer working at Dunkin Donuts, making new friends, and putting all my trust in God regarding everything from finances, to my future job/schooling, to a future spouse. Although, I have never been more lost about what to do in 9 months when I step out into the real workd, I've never felt God's presence and peace this much either. Good luck! Praying for you in your future endevors! :)