Let her down gently

It's been one of those days, or weeks, I guess.  I don't want to make this a sob post, but beware if I dip a little into the poor Jen pile of sorry.    I've always worn my sickness on my face, always, always, always.  And while I know this is certainly not the end of the world and my problems are minute, for me, they are a burden.  What you see here in this terrible photo I can't believe I'm making public, is the herpes simplex virus at its worse.  Any sign of sickness or worry and I can bet one of these will appear either on my nose or lip.  It's just the way it is.  I can look back over elementary school picture days, and there in my 2nd grade yearbook, you'll see a little lump on my lip.  Some people are just lucky, I guess. 

But, this was only the beginning of this sad tale.  With this little herpes virus, I went to an interview. One I was excited about.  I"m ready to work, want to work, and now I have a blister on my nose to show for the worrying I've done about this work.  I went back and forth, do I mention to the interviewers that this isn't usually what I look like?  Nope. I just went in confidently and acted like it didn't exist.  Did it cost me the job?  Hmm, no probably not.  I was turned down for other, more academic reasons I'm sure.  But, disappointment, none-the-less when you read this "let 'em down gently" kind of email:  we are sorry to say, . . . We truly believe in your talent, . . . we will keep your application on file and contact you in the spring . . . .

Then, after jumping back on my feet and searching other avenues of employment, I again got the same kind of reply from job interview 2:   so unfortunately I don’t have anything open for fall right now. I would definitely like to keep your info on file, though. 

This bad news was coupled with more bad news about my School Library Masters not being an accredited degree for public libraries. Which I kind of knew, but didn't.  Just an argh! day,  really. There's nothing more humbling than finding out you're unqualified for a job, even if it's done gently.

But this too shall pass, as my mom is find of saying.  And the Lord will put me where he needs me.  Just not in my time.  If there's a fruit of the spirit I need more than any other, it's patience. 
So Lord, humble me.  And grant me the patience I need to wait a little more. Because your timing is so much better than mine.  
And all God's children said, Amen!