As a career counselor at a job placement agency, I had two things drilled into my head: You would be considered for a job only if you had the required credentials, and you had to be among the first to apply. 

What I didn’t realize at the time was how similar these beliefs were to those held by people described in the Bible as waiting by the pool of Bethesda (see John 5:2–9): The water in the pool supposedly had healing powers, but you had to be the first person into the pool when the water moved in order to be healed. Jesus, however,  showed a paralyzed man that healing was not dependent on being first into the pool or on what the water was doing. He asked him if he was willing to be healed and then instantly healed him. 

Several years after leaving career counseling to get married and start a family, I found myself job hunting. I sought a place where I could be of service. One day, while perusing job postings, I found a perfect one for me: demonstrating electronic educational toys to parents during the holiday season. Over the previous two years, I had purchased a number of these toys for our son and made up games for him to learn more.