“Not yet.”
This was God’s response when I prayed about going to college – a college I had hoped would help me pursue my dream to work at a radio station.
Not yet?
I was furious.
What did God mean, “Not yet”? Other people my age were going to college; why couldn’t I? What exactly was I supposed to wait for?
This was not at all the answer I had expected (or wanted). I had thought He would direct me toward the best major to choose, or reveal to me how to pursue multiple interests in spite of being told that wasn’t really possible – not tell me that it wasn’t time yet.
And when exactly would “yet” come?
I was angry. And to be honest, I nearly went anyway.
“It’s not going to kill me to go ahead and go to college,” I thought.
Then I remembered hearing a speaker say that the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.
That thought brought me up short. I realized that if I chose to disobey God, then I would be deliberately stepping outside of God’s protection, and that I could indeed be unwittingly placing my life in danger.
I want to stress very strongly that I did not in any way think that God would strike me dead if I disobeyed Him. I just realized that knowingly stepping out of God’s protection but expecting to remain safe is similar to stepping out from an umbrella in a rainstorm and expecting to stay dry.
I didn’t think of this verse at the time, but it applies to the situation: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12, ESV). Actually, this statement is made in Proverbs not just once, but twice – it is repeated in Proverbs 16:25.
We can’t see the big picture, but God can. He sees everything, and I realized that trusting and obeying Him was definitely wiser than disobeying Him. He alone knows where each path leads, so if He clearly tells us to stay off of a specific path, it is just plain foolish to ignore Him.
So I put college on hold and got a job (which God provided unexpectedly and miraculously). I can’t say I was thrilled to be taking what felt like a detour from my dream, but I had developed a much greater respect for God’s guidance.
At one point, one of my coworkers mentioned that her brother had started an online radio station and that anyone could do so. That sounded interesting, but it wasn’t really what I had had in mind, and I really didn’t know how to pursue something like that.
So I put the idea on the shelf for the time being, but I also started looking into the possibilities.
It was then that I learned about Live 365 – a website that offered individuals the opportunity to create their own internet radio stations. I could simply upload the music I owned and air it online.
I did a lot of research, and Live 365 seemed ideal:
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The monthly fees covered royalty charges, so I wouldn’t need to try to figure out those details myself.
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I did not have to stream my station live.
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I could automate my playlists as much or as little as I wanted.
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I could have my very own radio staion!
I was thrilled – I was finally getting close to seeing at least part of my radio dream come true. I still wanted experience at a terrestrial station, but the online option was more feasible at that moment, and I was ready to move forward.
And then I hit a dead end.
Continued next week
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Signing off until next week –
Rocking for Jesus with you!
Amanda Renée
Credits:
Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash