taking the back seat

aside from “wala ka ba talagang balak mag-asawa?”, the question i am most often asked is “ayaw mo bang magtrabaho abroad? o kaya lumipat sa ibang trabaho na mas mataas ang sweldo?!” hmm. well, “none” to the first question and “no” to the second. hehehe ü

it’s not that i don’t need additional money. i do. *definitely* but i guess i realized that while money is important, it is not my main consideration whenever i make career choices.

i am a teacher. in a state university. so, no.. i do not earn much. and several times, i’ve tried applying in other higher-paying colleges, but never really was able to secure a full-time position in any of them. i thought to myself, “why couldn’t i secure a better-paying job? am i not good enough? am i too old to compete with other teachers?”

but the lord took away my misgivings and assured me that i was where he wanted me to be. because two years ago, by his grace, i was able to get tenure in our school (this is another sharing in itself, haha).. and this coming year, i will be appointed head of our department - an honor i certainly was not expecting. and now, after a long, long, long wait, it is official: itataas na daw ang sweldo ng mga UP teachers. hahaha. our salaries are (supposedly) going to be comparable to those of teachers in private schools.

and i’m glad i waited ü because in our school, the teaching load is not too heavy. and class sizes are not so big. i have lots of room for professional growth, and opportunities for learning. and of course, my time is (relatively) flexible. which means i have a lot of time to spend with family.. and a lot of time for service. i am happy where i am. and i believe, god is too.

in deciding my career path, i let financial considerations take the back seat, and allowed god to close and open whichever doors he wanted. and he proved himself faithful and trustworthy ü

lord, always give me the strength and courage to take the back seat and hand over the reins of my life to you. may you always be the first consideration in all my decision-making.. because with you in my life, there is nothing more i need ü