Halfway through  my four-month study abroad program  in Spain, I received a call from a colleague back in the United States. “We won’t be able to rehire you when you return from Spain,” she said. There was a momentary silence as I struggled to fathom the impact of that news.

I had left my job two months earlier with the assurance that I would be rehired at the end of the abroad program. My colleague knew this and explained that it had nothing to do with me or my performance. Our employer had simply instituted a hiring freeze as part of a cost-cutting initiative, and I was an unintended victim of that freeze.

The news was devastating. My husband and I were a two-income family, and we had expected to rely on my salary not only to pay for the trip but to enable me to continue my education and complete my degree without incurring debt. Since I still had two months left in Spain, it seemed wise to begin a long-distance job search immediately. I walked to the nearest internet café, found a vacant seat, and began my search.

I had relied on God for guidance many times, and it was natural for me to do so now.

I also prayed. As a student of Christian Science, I had a deep and abiding love for God and gratitude for His care for His creation. I had relied on Him for guidance many times, and it was natural for me to do so now. I was convinced that His will for me—for everyone—is good, so I was confident I could trust His direction. This Bible verse supports this trust: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). Another translation puts it this way: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (English Standard Version).

What had led me to come to Spain in the first place was an answer to prayer, and I considered the trip to be the gift of a lifetime. Was I going to let the lack of a job interrupt my enjoyment of this gift? Was I going to let it distract me from getting the most out of my experience in Spain? The answer that came to me was emphatic: No! I could continue my full participation in the immersion program without any penalty. With that, I packed up my things and left the café. The remaining two months in Spain were exhilarating, and I was able to savor every moment without fear of what the future held.

Within a week of returning home, I applied for a job that had come to my attention via an unexpected source. The job opening was with a prestigious non-profit organization that was only about a thirty-minute drive from my home. It was exactly the kind of work I had been doing at my prior job, so my skills, knowledge, and experience were a perfect match.

When a few weeks went by without hearing a word about my application, I decided to apply for unemployment insurance. This was when I learned that I was not entitled to it because my earlier employer, also a non-profit, was exempt from the requirement to provide unemployment insurance. For the second time, I was stunned. How were my husband and I going to make ends meet while I searched for a job? 

I continued to pray, though I was tempted to feel that I was walking a tightrope without a safety net. But the divine message quickly came: “God never leaves us without a safety net.” All fear left me. I was safe, and I knew I could rely on that spiritual fact, despite not knowing how it would manifest itself.

I continued to pray, though I was tempted to feel that I was walking a tightrope without a safety net.

The next morning, I received a call from the employer to whom I had applied earlier, inviting me to come in for what turned out to be a series of interviews. Ultimately, the job was offered to me, and I accepted it with great joy. Not only was it a perfect fit for me but it came with a higher salary than the one I had previously enjoyed. I happily worked for this organization until my retirement.

But that wasn’t all. A benefit of the job that I discovered only after being hired was that my new employer paid employees’ tuition up to a certain amount each semester. This was enough for me to complete my degree without debt.

Cultivating the ability to hear God’s direction and the wisdom to follow it has been very important to me for most of my adult life. I have found that we can always love and trust this biblical promise: “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).