Pam Padgett ... teacher
Acts 18:1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and
came to Corinth; 2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in
Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla;
(because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from
Rome:) and came unto them. 3 And because he was of the same
craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation
they were tentmakers.
Aquila and Priscilla left Italy because Claudius had commanded
the Jews to leave Rome. I thought of how difficult and
frightening it would be to be uprooted like this. But as a result
of being required to leave Rome, Aquila and Priscilla were in
Corinth when Paul got there, and Paul stayed with them. And they
helped Paul and went with him to Syria and were used to
help the body of Christ. (Acts 18 and Romans 16)
Reading about Aquila and Priscilla reminded me of times in my
life when there has been some kind of problem or adversity and I
turn to God, asking what to do, and was led to make a move of some
kind. Looking back I can see how God worked all of this according to HIS purpose for my life.
At one time I lived in Oklahoma City and was looking for a job.
But the economy in Oklahoma City at that time was weak. I had
temporary jobs, but was unable to find a permanent job.
I prayed asking God what to do.
Then one day I recalled my
parents mentioning that my grandma, who was a widow living in
Colorado Springs, had told them that as she was getting older she
was finding it harder to do things around her house that she had
previously done easily. There was a thought that I could move to
Colorado Springs and help my grandma. I prayed, asking God if
this was what HE wanted me to do, and became persuaded this was
the way I was to go. So I moved to Colorado Springs.
Within a
week I had a temporary job which turned into a permanent job a few
weeks later. And I was able to help my grandma for many years
(until she died), and enjoyed doing this.
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At another time I found I was bored in the work I was doing.
I poured my heart out to God, telling HIM how I felt and
asking if there was some kind of work I could do that would be
more interesting to me (I had no idea what this might be).
But, I also told God that if HE wanted me to continue as a
secretary, I'd continue doing my best in that.
This was when PCs
were just starting to be used in offices. Our office had 2 PCs,
but neither was being used. My boss said he'd like me to start
using a PC to do my work. I told him I didn't know anything
about PCs but that I would be glad to learn and asked about taking
some classes. We looked at a list of courses offered at a nearby
community college and chose 2 courses. One was called "Basic".
Since I needed a "basic" understanding of computers, this sounded
perfect. But it turned out to be a class in the programming
language called "Basic"! The first night of class I knew that
computer programming "fit" me ... it was interesting to me and
something I enjoyed doing.
In this way I was moved into
computer programming, which I enjoyed very much and which also
gave me a foundation to do some of the things I'm doing now.
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My first programming job was at a small software development
company. One day the technical lead came to my office and told
me that the company was having serious financial problems
and that layoffs were likely coming. He said that since I was the
least experienced programmer, I would probably be the first
laid off. I turned to God asking what to do.
About this time, in the mail came a list of 1-2 session
classes being held on various topics. One topic was how to
interview for a job. Going to interviews is something that is
very hard for me to do. After prayer I became convinced that I
should attend this class. The second night of the class the
instructor told me that FedEx was hiring entry-level programmers
and gave me the name of a woman at FedEx I could talk with about
these jobs. I immediately contacted this woman, sent her my
resume, and before long was offered an interview with one of the managers.
During the interview my answers to some of the technical questions were completely wrong. Surely the manager wouldn't even consider hiring me. What a surprise when he offered me a job at FedEx!
I later mentioned to the manager who hired me how poorly I had answered those interview questions and asked why he hired me. He said "Ah, Pam. I could tell from your resume that you are pretty smart and a hard worker. And we don't do rocket science here." I believe God gave me favor in this manager's eyes.
I worked at FedEx as a programmer 23 years, until I retired.
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As we live on this earth we face many problems and adversities.
But we don't despair. We turn to God assured that HE has
the way prepared for us to go, and that HE leads us in the way we
are to go, all according to HIS will for us.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose.