Humility

I was in need of a second job.  Yes, I know I am a professor with a PhD and all - but that also means I was a starving graduate student for a VERY LONG TIME and I threw a year-long adventure to DC in there to top it all off.  My twenties were a fabulous adventure, but an expensive one.  Yes, I could have made some better decisions, but all in all I did what I had to do and now is my time to be fiscally conservative and wise.

When I got the opportunity to be a paid church nursery worker, I jumped at it.  I mean, I'm at church anyway and where else was I to put a 2nd job?  It's not glamorous and will not turn me into a high roller - but it's better than nothing. 

After accepting the position, I momentarily doubted myself.  I wondered, is this a matter of me not having enough faith that God will take care of me?  Is this me trying to control the situation through works?  When exactly am I supposed to rest so that I can be successful and focused at my real career job?  How am I supposed to meet people at church and make new friends if I'm in the nursery?

Instead, I found that my first Sunday morning of childcare grounded me.  It reminded me how blessed I am to have my career.  It reminded me of the intrinsic reward of working hard and being diligent, which isn't always apparent when sitting at a desk all day.  It somehow grounded me and reoriented me to myself and who I was over 10 years ago when childcare got me through college.  I also met new people and families at  church that I otherwise would not have really known.

The Friday before I started the job, the following was the scripture of the day on my desk calendar.  I thought it summed it all up pretty well.

"Better is a man of humble standing who works for himself than one who plays the great man but lacks bread."  Proverbs 12:9