When I graduated from college, I had a network of public relations professionals across the country. I knew professionals in New York City, Washington, D.C., northern Utah and Seattle. I’d been involved in a national PR student competition and had pretty decent grades. But when the time came to transition from student to professional, I was always a bridesmaid and never a bride.
Draper Utah Temple
Today in Elders Quorum we talked about faith. What is it? It’s a verb and requires action. One person shared a story about two fellow missionaries who felt they didn’t have faith because they had tried to move a poster in their apartment using nothing but faith. After all, we’re told faith can move mountains, why not a poster? So there are some limitations to faith.
- Faith can’t impede on someone else’s free agency.
- Faith can’t change God’s will.
Sometimes it takes us asking for things in our prayers in a different way.It requires us to accept God’s will, even if we think His will should be more in line with our thinking. That’s where my story of the job hunt surfaced.
As I went from job interview to job interview, I remember kneeling in prayer after each one to thank Heavenly Father for the opportunity to interview. I expressed how I felt about the job and the opportunities it might offer so I could provide for my young family. My prayer usually included the line, “I really want this job.” And each time, I also included the line, “but I will accept whatever thy will is on where I should end up.”
Interview after interview I received the same bad news: “We regret to inform you…”, or “There was another candidate with a little more experience than you.” But when the job offer did finally come along, it was the right place at the right time.
A few months after joining the public relations firm in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the directors of the company left, leaving an open slot. I only had three months of professional experience, plus six months of internships – but they promoted me up to manage the department, which provided me greater opportunities sooner than anticipated.
Part of having faith is to accept the Lord’s will and to keep moving forward, whether it’s during the job hunt, finding the right school or eternal partner, or dealing with a life-threatening illness. Faith is a verb. So get up and do it!
Written by Jason Carlton, photographer and author of Temples and Testimonies.
Temples and Testimonies 