God must have needed a few trash cans...

Today I woke up to an email that read..."I'm sorry...but the position you applied for has been filled."  (They invited me to apply, not the other way around.)

I have applied to more jobs over the past 2.5 years; (too numerous to mention and/or count) that it would boggle the most intellectual, creative, finite minds!  For those attempts were like the sands of the sea shore and like stars that hang ever so delicately in our vast universe.  Despite all my efforts... I get the same response over and over again; just worded differently in an "ever so clever...jovial manner."

MAN SAYS...

• "I'm sorry...the job has been filled."
• "I'm sorry...you're over qualified."
• "I'm sorry...the position you applied for has been redirected to another department."
• "I'm sorry...but we're not interested."
• "I'm sorry...but we are going to be rude and not respond."
• "I'm sorry...your resume and references were impressive, but you just weren't the 'right fit' for our company."
• "I'm sorry...we know we built your hopes up; however, we want you to know that you were our second choice.  But unfortunately...there can only be one 'right' candidate for the job."
• "I'm sorry...you shouldn't be working for our company or any company for that matter; you should start your own business and run it yourself!"
• "I'm sorry...I know that I hired you and you've worked for me for several weeks; however, I've decided not to pay you and will lie to the Texas Workforce Commission stating that you quit and refused to be trained."

GOD SAYS...

• "I'm sorry...but the dreams I placed within your heart will have to wait a little while longer to be fulfilled, because you're just not quite ready.  But then again...you may never be."
• "I'm sorry...even though I said it's not good for man to be alone...I thought with you, I would start a new trend."
• "I'm sorry...even though I said that I would meet all your needs.  That was really a 'hypothetical' statement where some people are concerned."
• "I'm sorry...you're prayers seemed to be a little bit muffled.  I can't hear a word you're saying.  Your spiritual wires must be crossed???"
• "I'm sorry...I know you are trying to do odd jobs, sell various products to make a living and meet your needs, but you're just not the right candidate to receive My unlimited favor."
• "I'm sorry...I know that I said I cared enough for you to count the strands of every hair on your head and I placed ALL your tears in a bottle.  However, I had to move your containers of pain to another planet.  I had no more room to put them anywhere.  So...sometimes I forget to go back and take a look at what you need."
• "I'm sorry...I know you need a roof over your head, utilities, food, car and other necessities...but I like to keep things interesting and keep you guessing where it's going to come from."
• "I'm sorry...I know you need the 'gentle touch' of a hug, but you will have to settle for the 'cyberspace' kind.  There just doesn't seem to be any more available arms on this planet to give you."
• "I'm sorry...I know I said that I would work ALL things out for your good.  But you do know that your good and my good are two different things...  Don't you?"
• "Im sorry...I know you want to be happy...but I never said it was a guarantee that you would be."

CONSIDERATIONS:

• If you are one of the fortunate ones to have a "steady" job, even if it's not perfect. Consider yourself blessed.
  
• If you are one of the fortunate ones to have kids, even if you are divorced and the kids drive you crazy.  Consider yourself blessed.
• If you are happy over 70% of the time, even though there is pain all around you. Consider yourself blessed.
• If you've ever had just "one dream" come true, though it took some effort to get it. Consider yourself blessed.
• If you can pay your bills, even though you may have to squeeze your purse strings so tight to get every drop of those resources out.  Consider yourself blessed.
• If you have people in your life, who will call you, remember you, support you, check up on you, spend time with you, believe in you, encourage you, hug you, love you; even though they sometimes make you mad, drive you nuts, make mistakes and hurt you.  Consider yourself blessed.
• If you've ever loved and lost.  Consider yourself blessed.
• If you can come to the end of your life and say...(despite all the pain, heartaches, losses and disappointments); that if you had the chance to live your life over again, you wouldn't change a thing.  Consider yourself blessed.

Though for the most part, the majority of mankind will have the pleasure of seeing at least one, if not many of the above aforementioned come to pass in their lives; there are however, a handful of us that will never see any of it come to fruition.  The hopes, the dreams, the longings, the desires... will just remain tucked deep within the fairy-tales of our imaginations, never making their way through those difficult barriers to reality.  I used to think that I was one of the lucky ones and for a time...I probably was.  But somehow...  I must have taken a left turn, when I should have gone right. Gone north, instead of heading south.  Looked to the east, instead of the west.  I have somehow lost my direction over these past 2.5 years.  My hopes.  My dreams.  My desires.  My purpose.  My reason for living.  And the road seems too long and dark to be able to find my way back.

I have always believed that God made each person for a purpose.  We would all like to think that... that purpose is for something BIG, EXCITING, FUN and worthwhile. But we oh so often tend to forget sometimes...that "God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts." So maybe...some of our purposes are for something menial, less attractive, less exciting than what our fellow man, who walks along side of us on this journey called life, gets to experience?? I dunno...

All I do know...  Is that all my hopes, dreams, heart's desires, and longings...seemed to have vanished into thin air with no trace of their existence and all that is left are just fragments, broken pieces, that somehow seem to be just empty "figments" of my imagination now.  Nothing more.  So where do all those broken fragments and pieces go that seems to get tossed at times very violently to the wind??? Where does God put them???

I'm now left thinking...that God must have needed a few trash cans.  And I guess...  He chose me to be one of them.