Praying with Open Hands

Jake Frost's ideal new job reminds him that God looks out for us in ways we don't even know we need.

I’m surprised at how well things turn out even when God misses a few of the details I’ve laid out for Him (very clearly and repeatedly laid, out, I might add). Case in point is my new job.

Well, not so new anymore. It’s hard to believe, but I’m approaching the two-year mark since my start date. And now that I’ve got a few miles on the new gig I’ve come to appreciate just how awesome it is. And not just awesome in general, but how beautifully tuned it is to the nuances of my family’s life in this moment.

When my youngest started full-day school I began my search for a job to return to the world of paid work (I was working plenty already as a stay-at-home dad, just a different kind of work—which also happened to be the unpaid variety of work).

I had some pretty specific ideas of what I wanted for a job, and I took them to the Lord in prayer every day. And before I knew it, the prayers were answered: I had a job.

Only, the prayers weren’t answered in exactly the way I’d been thinking they should be. The job I got was different from what I’d had in mind.

Still, the work was interesting, the people were great, and ... well, it paid.

And I mean money!

The hugs and kisses that were my currency of remuneration in raising the wee ones were fantastic, but hard to convert to greenbacks or any other tangible form the grocery store would accept as legal tender.

The biggest surprise of the new job was that it was online, work-from-home.

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I came to appreciate praying with open hands and an open heart, ready to accept what God gives, even when it’s different from what I was telling Him I needed. #catholicmom

It’s turned out to be wonderful and meshes perfectly with our family’s present circumstances.

We have four kids, two kids in primary grades and two in middle school. Right now, we do lots of driving around for school pick-ups and drop-offs, after school activities, you name it. We’re in the “chauffeur years” as I’ve heard it called. And the kids still need help with homework and school projects, and they’re still at the grade levels where my wife and I can actually help, which is nice.

The new job allows the flexibility to work and still be part of all that. I get lots of time with the family, I can get to the games, and I’m always home when something is needed. I can make the run down to school to drop off that math book that someone forgot. And when kids have been sick, I log off, go get them and bring them home, set them up on the couch, and log back on. I just work a little later to get my hours in.

The job turned out to be such a great fit, it’s almost like there was a plan to it.

And as I contemplated that, I came to appreciate praying with open hands and an open heart, ready to accept what God gives, even when it’s different from what I was telling Him I needed.

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