I Have a Better Plan for You

When I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in 2013, I had many plans for myself. I was going to get into the field of Social Work, work for a full two years and then get my Masters in the same field. After gradation, I began looking for a job knowing it might be a little hard, but I was sure I was going to find something and begin my career.

The first two months post graduation weren’t that difficult. I was applying to jobs, went on one interview, and everything was OK. I spent that Ramadan in full worship and relaxed. But then August, September, and October came and went with several rejections. The tears didn’t stop, the worrying intensified and depression began to creep in. I kept thinking that there was something wrong with me- why wasn’t anyone hiring me? Why were my two years of internships being rejected? Was I being punished for something? I remember that was the first time I begged and cried to Allah. I begged for a job. I begged and begged and begged. I was applying to anything and everything- department stores, house cleaning, bakeries, you name it. My mornings consisted of breakfast and 6 hours of searching on the computer, refreshing the job search engine for the newest job posting. After reaching the lowest point in my financial life and basically not being able to pay rent, I finally got a job. It wasn’t in my field at all but the pay was really good and it was within walking distance from home.

I ended up loving it. I went from learning about social work theories in college to learning all about real estate. I considered switching my goals from social work to law and helping immigrant communities. But even when I considered doing that, a part of me still thought I should go back to my original plan and work with the elderly. I was grateful for the job, don’t get me wrong. I loved my boss and I loved the flexibility. But something in me began feeling unfulfilled. I knew I needed to work to help my husband out in regards to our finances, but I didn’t want to sacrifice my dreams either.

A year and a half into working as a paralegal, I began thinking about changing careers. I started looking into city jobs because I needed health benefits. However one random Thursday, I saw a job posting for working in a social services agency working with the elderly. It was my dream job! I had experience in everything the job was listing and I knew I had to apply. That night I sent in my resume and come Friday afternoon, I received an email for a phone interview!! Long story short, I ended up going on two in-person interviews and I got the job all within two weeks of initially applying.

When I reflect on this whole scenario, I now see the wisdom behind Allah’s plan. After getting the job, I came across this quote:

“Allah (swt) always has three replies to our prayers: Yes, but not now, I have a better plan for you, there’s never a no”

SubhanAllah this was my life the past two years. He knew what was best for me. He knew this was the time in my life to make the change. I’ll be honest, there were times I was angry. I was disappointed in where my life was headed and I thought I was going to be doing jobs just for the sake of working and making money. But the beauty in behind having faith and patience is that when the dust settles and everything calms down, you can see clearly.

It was obvious working as a paralegal was in my best interest as it was my first full time job. And as a mom and wife, He knew my capability of managing a home as well as a 40 hour work week.

I started my new job this week and Allahumdulillah I am so happy. I feel like I’m in my element and I love the population I am working for. Being I started a job in the middle of Ramadan does mean I am more tired, however, I pray there will be extra barakah in my earnings then!

In sharing this story, I want to let anyone reading this that they should never lose hope. What we plan and what we hope for will not always work out. We have to trust that Allah knows more than we do and He never takes or gives anything away without a reason. When times get tough, it’s so easy to switch on default mode and question “why”, and I know I’m guilty of doing it, too.

May Allah give us all that’s best for us in this life and the next and may He never allow us to forget that everything happens for a reason. We just need to be patient and hopeful so we can really see what those reasons are.

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By: @mir_mah2 (MW Contributor)

Miriam is a full time mother, wife and paralegal residing in New York City. Her writing stems from her experiences in this thing called life.

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• July 13, 2015