When I was in high school, I discovered there was a new restaurant opening. Needing a job, I decided to go apply. I told my friend James that I was going there after school.

I went home after school, had a quick meal, got dressed, and headed over to the restaurant. Lo and behold, there was my friend James! Worse, he had just been hired!

I couldn’t believe it. I had actually prayed about the job and was sure I was going to have the best first job ever. Now I had to go looking for a job elsewhere, ending up at Whataburger. I was very angry with James and it took a long time for me to forgive him.

Something interesting happened about a year later. I bumped into James and we got to talking about jobs. My job at Whataburger didn’t pay all that well, but it was steady schedule, not too strenuous, and other than having to wash my clothes after every shift, was a decent way to work my way through high school.

James’ job, the one I was so angry about missing out on? Turns out the restaurant was barely afloat. James told me he rarely got a paycheck in time. He would arrive at the restaurant at times to be sent home because they didn’t have enough customers. His shifts were changed every week or so. He even missed getting paid on a few occasions. The restaurant owner would at different times decide that the entire restaurant needed a completely different style and menu. He’d close the place for a few weeks, then re-open under a new name. Of course, during that time, James was out of work.

The Lord took care of me not getting the job that I thought I needed. Sometimes, we have to accept that He doesn’t always tell us why He says, “No.” We just have to believe that He is taking care of us even when we don’t understand what’s really happening.