God Has Good Gifts Planned for You

Posted by: Amanda Bridle, Graphic Designer and Brand Manager | Monday, June 16th, 2025 (12:00am)

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!—Matthew 7:9-11

Tears dripped down onto my dinner plate as I choked out a retelling of my workday. Carrying the weight of a workplace that didn’t seem to care for the wellbeing of its employees grew heavier with each passing day. I started each morning staring at the elevator despondently, already thinking about what I would do that evening when work was over. There was no way I could imagine becoming a parent, something I hoped to do soon, while working at this place that knew no boundaries when it came to schedules. I was desperate to find a new position.

When I landed an interview at a beloved local institution, I was ecstatic. I was already a fan of the organization and had been for years. What a gift it would be to use my skills there! I thought the interview went quite well, but my would-be boss chose not to hire me. Not because of my lack of talent, but because he couldn’t match my current salary. He strongly felt I should seek work elsewhere.

Disappointed doesn’t even begin to describe my reaction. After mustering up the courage to update my resume and portfolio, apply for jobs, and land an interview, I felt I should be rewarded! This was a “good gift” I could see right in front of me, and I could not understand why God wasn’t giving it to me.

In hindsight I can see that my young 20-something self was more than a little impatient. And certainly, I was lacking trust in God and his ability to give me gifts. I wanted to be the one who told God what it was I needed instead of the other way around.

Within a few weeks my sister called me out of the blue to tell me about a job she had seen advertised in the newspaper (this was in the days before Indeed and LinkedIn were ubiquitous). She thought I would be interested in the position and didn’t want me to miss it. She was right about my interest. I took the next step and applied.

I landed a phone interview. Passing that step, I interviewed in person. When it was over, I told my husband “I don’t think I’m going to get it. They asked me about things I have no experience in.”

Much to my shock, I was wrong! The position was offered to me and three weeks later I nervously stepped into a brand-new role. Within a month, I was tasked with leading the organization through a logo and brand design process. I had found my place and my people. I absolutely adored working there.

Years into my employment, my boss told me a story about the hiring process for my position. She and the director of Human Resources had each taken a stack of resumes home over the weekend to review. They were to sort them into two piles: interview and rejection. On Monday when they met, he asked her “Is there anyone in the reject pile that you just have a feeling about?” She immediately plucked my resume out of the reject pile and added it to the interview pile.

Some might attribute that to “luck” or “fate.” But looking back, I see the hand of a good Father at work, ready to give me, his beloved daughter, good gifts at the just-right time.

If you’re someone who is waiting right now, don’t give up hope. Your God sees you and hears you. He has gifts for you and even if they aren’t the gifts you are expecting, you can trust that they are good.