God’s perfect timing
Stephanie Tang shares why patience, perseverance and faith in God’s perfect timing, ultimately pays off.
Stephanie Tang, a then 26 year old account manager at a workers compensation firm, thought it would be 'quick and easy' to land a new job in a new company. Her previous two attempts at finding employment took only two weeks from application to interview to job offer.
This time, there was six months of waiting and six months of closed doors.
"There were times I felt really discouraged and ready to give up," Stephanie says.
During this time, Stephanie was facing increasing pressure in the workplace. The company she was working for, like many others, was hit hard by the global economic recession and, in March 2009, half of Stephanie's team was made redundant. Her workload increased to the point where she was carrying out the responsibilities of three full-time positions. When she sought help from management, she was told to work extra hours and weekends.
"I was also fearful that work would consume my life and cause me to compromise my commitment to my family and to God," Stephanie says. Feeling unhappy and exhausted, she made the decision to start looking for a new job.
"I thank God for my husband, my family and the pastors," Stephanie says, "they constantly spoke life into my situation and spurred me on to trust in God's timing and provision."
Stephanie also turned to the Word of God for encouragement and strength. She found particular comfort in Mark 11:24, which says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours."
Her patience and perseverance paid off.
Six months later, Stephanie was offered a position at a new company. But it was no ordinary job offer.
Stephanie was due to conduct a handover when another firm had won over her company's client in a tender. To her surprise, the Managing Director and Practice Manager of that firm sat in on the handover.
"Three days later, I received an email from the Practice Manager asking that I contact her if I was interested in a position with them," Stephanie says.
An interview was set up and, within the same week, she received another call from the Practice Manager, asking if Stephanie was available to meet the NSW Director for lunch.
"It is nothing I have ever experienced before - going to lunch for an interview!" Stephanie says.
The position she was offered by this company also included a promotion and a pay rise, and Stephanie says, "I know deep in my heart that this job is a miracle from God and it is by his favour that it has come about in such a profound way."
During the time of waiting, Stephanie remembered some of the goals she had written in her journal for 2010: 'Work on patience and trust in God, be joyful, worry less and have more faith.'
"I do believe that God could have provided me a job within 2 weeks if he wanted to," Stephanie says, "but I now understand that God let this go on for much longer so that I had the opportunities to work on those goals."
This time, there was six months of waiting and six months of closed doors.
"There were times I felt really discouraged and ready to give up," Stephanie says.
During this time, Stephanie was facing increasing pressure in the workplace. The company she was working for, like many others, was hit hard by the global economic recession and, in March 2009, half of Stephanie's team was made redundant. Her workload increased to the point where she was carrying out the responsibilities of three full-time positions. When she sought help from management, she was told to work extra hours and weekends.
"I was also fearful that work would consume my life and cause me to compromise my commitment to my family and to God," Stephanie says. Feeling unhappy and exhausted, she made the decision to start looking for a new job.
"I thank God for my husband, my family and the pastors," Stephanie says, "they constantly spoke life into my situation and spurred me on to trust in God's timing and provision."
Stephanie also turned to the Word of God for encouragement and strength. She found particular comfort in Mark 11:24, which says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours."
Her patience and perseverance paid off.
Six months later, Stephanie was offered a position at a new company. But it was no ordinary job offer.
Stephanie was due to conduct a handover when another firm had won over her company's client in a tender. To her surprise, the Managing Director and Practice Manager of that firm sat in on the handover.
"Three days later, I received an email from the Practice Manager asking that I contact her if I was interested in a position with them," Stephanie says.
An interview was set up and, within the same week, she received another call from the Practice Manager, asking if Stephanie was available to meet the NSW Director for lunch.
"It is nothing I have ever experienced before - going to lunch for an interview!" Stephanie says.
The position she was offered by this company also included a promotion and a pay rise, and Stephanie says, "I know deep in my heart that this job is a miracle from God and it is by his favour that it has come about in such a profound way."
During the time of waiting, Stephanie remembered some of the goals she had written in her journal for 2010: 'Work on patience and trust in God, be joyful, worry less and have more faith.'
"I do believe that God could have provided me a job within 2 weeks if he wanted to," Stephanie says, "but I now understand that God let this go on for much longer so that I had the opportunities to work on those goals."
