The Ad
By Enid Ning
“Cycling, canoeing and rock climbing,” the advertisement proclaimed. “We pay you one hundred dollars a month!”
Wow! I thought to myself excitedly as I scanned the ad. That is exactly what I want to do! Who cares about the money!?
The “rising star” who was to fulfill the hopes and dreams of my family, I was on the verge of dropping out of medical school for the second time. Back at the University of Toronto for my third year at the Faculty of Medicine, I had come to a final conclusion: I did not want to be a doctor after all.
Following this conclusion which laid waste more than two years of my life, I had had to acknowledge before God that I had not done a very good job of selecting a career for myself. Giving over my career selection to him, I prayed that he had good plans for me and would see me through.
Then I had chanced upon this ad for a Christian camp in California. It sounded perfect!
“Lord,” I prayed. “Please let me do this! Please let me do this! Nothing you have for me could be better than this!” I paused, a little shocked at my boldness. “But,” I continued slowly, “if you don’t want me to do this, then. I. won’t.” These last few words were forced out with great reluctance.
Satisfied with my prayer, I opened the Bible, and was rivetted to the spot by words that leapt off the page:
“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord,
Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
That they may add sin to sin.” (Isaiah 30:1, NKJV)
I stared at the words, unable to take my eyes off them. Deep down in my heart, I knew then and there that God was disciplining me, and that whatever he had in store for me in the future, it wasn’t this job.
Shakily, I prayed again, “Father, forgive me for being so faithless. Forgive me for saying I will follow you and then, when my desires change, following after something else. Lord, I don’t want this job. I will wait for you to show me what you want for me. Help me to be faithful, in Jesus’ name.”