“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13

Out of all the Bible verses I’ve encountered, this one particular verse by St. Paul struck me the most, and has remained within me until now. This verse has guided me since I saw it once at a bumper sticker on a car when I endured traffic back from a road trip. It caught my eye, and during that traffic jam, I copied it on my mobile phone and saved it. At first, the verse sounded nice to me, and eventually, I learned that there’s more to it than just sounding nice. Because of this verse, I survived a lot of events and circumstances in my life.

The most recent catastrophe I encountered was losing my first job while I was beginning to take up graduate studies. Getting laid off along with a dozen or so employees was something unexpected. Why was I laid off? I understood that my former company needed to cut down on their budget. But what I couldn’t understand was why did it had to be me, when there are other employees who work lousier than I am. Most of all, I worried so bad about how to pay for my graduate school expenses, now that I’m not employed. I had this brooding feeling that I had to stop my graduate studies as well while I have to look for a new and stable work.

I did my part by applying to different companies. I juggled two jobs at a time, and most of these were contractual. By the time my contract ended in one job, I would start to look for another one, even if I already had another job. On weekends, I would attend graduate school, then spend my weekdays working at two or sometimes, three, different jobs.

It was physically and emotionally stressful, and it went on for a year. One day, I broke down and cried out that I couldn’t take it anymore. My roommate comforted me while I cried hard, and she assured me that she’ll be there for me and things will get better soon. She’s always admired me for my strength, and she allowed me to cry. But I had to promise her and myself that I won’t break down anymore after this one good cry.

When it was all done, I stayed alone in my room for a while. As I was playing with my mobile phone, I went to the Notes section and saw the verse again. “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

I prayed for the first time since I lost my job.

“Wherever You want me to go, Lord, please take me there, if I am meant to thrive in that place.”

This was my prayer in helping me find a job wherein I would become a permanent employee.

It did took me a while before I landed a job that’s pretty stable. It happened when I visited my college and talked to my former professor. Out of the blue, he told me that there was a vacancy waiting to be filled. That was the answer to my prayer, and I took the job offer. I’ve been at that job for a year and a half now. And I get to keep studying grad school. A year from now, and I’m about to finish.

I’m thankful that this trial made me stronger and led me to better opportunities. It may not be perfect, but you get good things that you deserved.

The Lord has been my strength, indeed, through all this time. Help yourself always, and He will give you a Hand to get through it all.