Detours

Following the path we believe God sets out for us doesn’t always take us straight where we think we are going. Sometimes we go a different way on our own and sometimes we are forced to take a detour we wouldn’t choose for ourselves.

I love physics and engineering. I am absolutely captivated by the way things work. But I’m really bad at math. I think in words instead of numbers; metaphors instead of symbols. So I naturally gravitated towards English as a major in college. Because I like to live in my head instead of the external world I added minors in philosophy and psychology. Having finally come to terms with my call to ordained ministry, this seemed like a pretty good education in preparation for seminary. What it wasn’t good for was finding a job right after college.

When my dad attended seminary I witnessed the difference between the second-career students and those who attended immediately after college. Those who had been out in the world of work and careers seemed to have a different perspective than those who had been in school their entire life. In addition to being more mature and world-wise, the second career students didn’t seem to get as caught up in the theory and theology. They seemed to be more connected to the people in the pews, so to speak; to know the side of life where church was a piece of, but not the whole, puzzle.

I decided that I wouldn’t go straight from college to seminary. I would take some time to work, to gain some “real-life” experience and to begin paying off some student loans before accruing some more. Additionally, Amy and I were getting married the summer after I graduated and she was taking classes for her Master’s Degree while working full time. My plan was to get a job in the publishing field or as a technical writer and work for a few years before going to the seminary.

The problem with the plan, I quickly found out as I began sending out resumes, is that companies don’t want technical writers with English degrees and a fascination with the way things work. They want engineers who can write well. And the publishing field wanted people with editing skills not someone who could talk about the nuances of a novel and its meaning.  This would have been great information to have prior to my graduation but I hadn’t even thought to look for it.

Two weeks prior to my wedding I was shopping for gifts for my groomsmen when I noticed a “Help Wanted” sign at a sporting goods store in the mall. I couldn’t bear the thought of getting married while being unemployed. No, that’s not completely honest. I couldn’t bear the thought of looking my father-in-law in the eye on my wedding day if I didn’t have a job. So I filled out an application, had an interview a week later, and began working as a stock boy exactly one week before I got married.

After the wedding I continued to look for a job that was worthy of a college graduate but I kept running into dead ends. The few interviews I got all ended with, “We’re really looking for someone with other qualifications.” Meanwhile, at the store, I was working 9-5 with weekends off and I could wear jeans to work and no tie. I unloaded trucks, organized the back stock and was responsible for inventory.

One day the district manager called me into the office to ask if I would be willing move out to the sales floor as an area manager. I accepted and began selling weight lifting and exercise equipment. I learned about the other departments and became a certified ski tech and a certified bowling ball technician. (That’s right. I have skills now.) Within a year I was promoted to Assistant Store Manager and transferred to a different store about an hour’s drive away. 

Working in retail management wasn’t part of my life’s plan. But it kept me out of a career where I would be working in a secluded cubicle and got me to interact with strangers on a regular basis. As a natural introvert I needed that experience. I learned management and motivational skills. I found out that people like choices but don’t want too many of them. (Next time you’re in Wal-Mart notice how they have lots of things but only a couple of choices for each item.)  I met con artists and thieves and I learned about the politics of business when the union went on strike. I learned to give people a chance to prove themselves when I hired them and I learned that some people will work harder to get out of working than if they had just done the job in the first place.

I eventually brought all these lessons with me when I started ordained ministry. And it’s a good thing because I’ve needed them all. Accepting and keeping that job in the sporting goods store was difficult and humbling for me. But in the end it proved to be exactly what I needed.