This reminds me of my experience at an Interaction Conference I volunteered at where there were hundreds of employers, all of whom I should probably network with. So during this conference, I met several employers, students, and designers around the nation. But I remember distinctly during my lunch break, a few fellow volunteers and I went to grab some lunch at one of the conference spots. As we were entering the back room, the server stopped me and told me that the back room was full, so I wouldnt be able to eat back there. So all the people I was going to go eat lunch with just kept walking and didn't turn back. So I was like "Mmm, Ok, God has a reason for this." So I looked around the room I was currently standing in to see where I wanted to sit and eat. I will go ahead and say that God knows my heart, and He knows that my heart is probably a good percentage Korean. (Long story, but yea.) So there was a Korean guy sitting by himself at one table, and so I decided to sit next to him. His name was Chongho, and we did the general "Oh what do you do?" conversations, and then the table started filling up with other people, probably around 8 people in all. After we received our food, I bowed my head to pray, and as I lifted my head, I saw his lift as well. I was like "HMMMM" so a little later, I brought up church, and then BOOM, instant connection. We ended up talking about God, and how Christ is just awesome, and I eventually ended up inviting him to church. I remember he was saying that he was originally upset cause he would have had to miss church that sunday since it was an all weekend conference, but God put us together and he ended up coming to church with me which was an awesome day.
But this was just the beginning, the night after I met Chongho, which was a Saturday, I went to a networking party, where it seriously is just a bunch of professionals together just hanging out. I ended up meeting more people, but one person in particularly I met, I enjoyed talking to, and he would have a been a great contact to have as I search for internships and future jobs. Sadly though, he had no more business cards, so i was pretty bummed, but someone said they would email his contact info later, but that just made me feel kinda uneasy. Either way, the night ended, and the next morning was church with Chongho!
Church was awesome, and afterwards Chongho went to see more conference speakers as I was volunteering at the main conference building. Before we left church though, I told Chongho that I would drop him off at the airport when the conference was over. So I kept in mind that the guy that I met the night before would most likely be at the conference building I was at, so after the speaker was done, everyone started leaving. Chongho shows up and I told him "Just a couple more minutes" because well for 1, I was technically still volunteering, but more seriously 2, I wanted to see if I could find that contact so I could technically "secure" my own wants. After looking around for awhile, I stopped and thought "What am I doing?, if God wants this to happen, than it would happen!" So afterwards I grabbed Chongho and I took him to the airport. I pull up aside the departing plane drop off area, and I send him off his way. As he is walking towards the airport, a car pulls up behind me. And guess who it was? It was the guy that I met at the networking party, and when I spoke to him again, he found some more of his business cards so I was able to get his contact. Afterwards I was pretty ecstatic, and I felt me and God had an awesome moment where I was just looking up and thinking "...You are good..."
Now that I look back to that moment which was like Fall 2009, I haven't really kept in contact with that guy, but me and Chongho keep in touch. I know God is planning something awesome so I cant wait to see what amazing things he does. Aside from this story though, there was a main point I wanted to bring up.
1. Networking is pretty easy, when it's about ourselves.
So God has blessed me with the ability to naturally be able to speak well with others, and I am grateful for that, but I wonder if I'm using that blessing in the best way possible. When I think of networking for design, It is easy to do. Maybe you'll do some research on specific companies that will be at the conference so you know what you can talk about. Maybe you bring around a mini-portfolio so you can spark interest in yourself so others will be able to engage you more. Either way, theres several little elements that we do to try to have that connection with people. But with all this work to establish ourselves, how much work do we put into establishing God?
2. Networking is hard, when it's about God.
I know there are several times in our lives when we know we should of brought God up. We walk into a shopping mall, a cafe, or wherever. Any place we go there are several people, all of whom could be children of God. Do we spark conversations to see how people are doing? Do we seriously care? Do we want to be God's hands and feet? Do we feel that God will just use someone else? Do we want to shine the light, or are we waiting to turn the light on when we are safe in our homes? All these things run through my head when I see people around me, especially people that I see on a daily basis. As a follower of Christ, these are things that I pray that God will put into my heart. God loves us so much, and I want to share that with other people. We are definitely not perfect, we struggle constantly, and God still forgives us and loves us even though we definitely deserve Hell.
I can honestly say that over time, I can see God has been working in my heart for others. I have had cases with embracing the homeless, reconnecting with family members, loving and praying for those who society would call wretched, and definitely humbling myself before people, so that they may feel the compassion of the Lord. Before I met Christ, I was pretty comfortable just living in my own world. But now Christ lives in me, and I really want to share that love he gives me with others. Its not that I do these things as a means to prove myself. Its not that I do these things to be forgiven. For I do not want to act upon my pride, but I merely want to express my love for the living God whom loved me first.
Ephesians 2:1-10
Made Alive in Christ
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
