Two years after God told us Alex would work full time at Owens, Alex finally had his interview, his interview for the position that was not supposed to exist, and for which he should not be qualified. Several other people were applying for the position, some of whom were Alex's good friends. On his way into his interview, he met his friend Tony coming out from interviewing. Alex was shaken. He hated to think about competing with his friends. He was just trying to focus on doing what God had lead him to.
His interview went extremely well. When he got home, he was not so sure it had gone well, because it was not at all what he had prepared for. But as he told me about it, I knew he had been remarkable. And that evening, his friend Charlie who had been on the hiring committee, texted him and told him that he nailed the interview. Now he just had to wait. The choice was based on 3 factors: a welding test, the interview, and qualifications like education and job experience. Alex knew that two of the other candidates were higher qualified than he was. So, we waited.
We waited a long time. It was a difficult time to even know how to think. Here we had this promise from God that we had faith in. But also, we had experiences where things had not happened the way we thought they would. We were trying so hard not to think. We expected to hear before the end of the semester, but Winter Break came, and then we knew we would not hear until after Christmas. Then the next semester started, but still we had not heard.
Finally, the result came. Alex had tested the best, and interviewed the best, but because of one qualification Alex was missing, his friend Tony came out ahead. Still, there was a little hope. Tony had told Alex that he might not accept the job even if it were offered him, because it would be a huge cut in pay from where he was currently working.
So, we waited. We waited while Owens and Tony went back and forth arguing over the contract. I'm not sure how long this went on, it may only have been just a few weeks, but it felt like months. It was agonizing.
I was angry that Alex was not the first choice for a job I believe God created for him, but I was ready for this to be our Lazarus story. I fully expected God to show up "3 days late" and hand the job to Alex. I felt that, the first time around, I was Mary throwing herself at Jesus' feet, crying, "Where were you?" But this time around, I felt that Alex and I were standing in the tomb over Lazarus' dead body. We could hear our friends and family mourning the loss outside, but we were standing there, waiting for Lazarus to get up. Then, I felt God speak these words to me, "Get up, dry your tears, and come and meet me on the road, because I am almost there." I was so excited. I sent an email to a friend, saying "Lazarus just twitched!"
Well, then Tony accepted the job. Apparently Owens did not offer him what he wanted, but he took it anyway, deciding to work 2 full time jobs. We were bewildered. Alex took it graciously, saying Tony was his friend and an excellent teacher, and he bore him no hard feelings. But we both began to lose faith in our ability to hear God's voice.
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