Leveling Up
Written by: Jelani Kerr
I finished school and secured a temporary job but I did not know what was going to happen next. I knew I needed something long-term and at this point, I had less than six months to get it. The country was still reeling from the Great Recession in 2008. Like a lot of people, I saw many aspects of the times (and the economy in particular) as highly precarious. People were losing homes, the government was funding an ill-advised, neverending (but still expensive) military conflict, and the job market seemed like it was evaporating. Opportunity, even for the educated, was difficult to secure. It was unsettling.
A professor sent a job posting for a position located in Canada. It was a new, innovative program that aligned well with my education and skill-set. I applied, went through the interview
process, and was eventually offered the position. Yes, it was an exciting opportunity to move from South Carolina, a place that sometimes seemed like a time machine even when compared to the other parts of the south, to that metropolis of culture and innovation – Toronto.
There was a problem though. The position was intended to be a tax exempt training and the salary was commiserate with that. The grant covering my salary set the pay at a low figure under the assumption that it would be tax exempt. However, the government of Canada recently ruled that individuals in my unique employment position would be taxed. Immediately, about a third of my potential income evaporated. Further, Toronto is one of the more expensive cities in North America. The monthly rent for a 30 year old studio apartment in Toronto was almost $500 more than the mortgage of my new 2-bedroom patio home in South Carolina. Public transportation was more expensive than gas. It was also more expensive than automobile maintenance. Food was more expensive (I almost lost it when I saw that boxes of Cap’n Crunch costs almost $8.00). Movies were more expensive. Everything just costs more. How could I pull this off?
During my time of pondering whether I would accept the position, I went to the early morning church service to worship and hear something that would help me through the rest of the week.
Almost as if he was speaking directly to me, the preacher talked about the importance of trusting God and knowing that whatever the situation was, God would take care of me:
“Don’t worry about the money. God will take care of you. Don’t worry about the future. God will take care of you.”
It was a message that spoke directly to the concerns that I was experiencing. I took that as God’s way of telling me that the financial situation was going to be alright. “Don’t worry about the money,” said the preacher.
I was already heavily leaning towards taking the job, but this gave me assurance and peace about the decision. I contacted the Canadian employer that week to let them know that I would be taking the position.
And God did take care of me. He secured an apartment that was unreasonably affordable by
Toronto standards. It had multiple rooms including a full kitchen, washer and dryer. It was also about two miles from the beach, up the street from a subway stop, close to a movie theater and shopping, down the street from a nice park and running trail, and around the corner from the library (the location was awesome). Despite the amenities and size, it was significantly cheaper than all of the smaller apartments that I had looked at. So, with the rent problem addressed, the battle was already half won.
Shortly after starting the position, I was offered an additional opportunity at the same institution that would increase my salary by $10,000 with minimal extra work. By the time I left, I had enough money to cover my expenses many times over and give to others. I looked back at what the preacher said on that sunny Sunday and I knew that God was true. I did not need to worry about the money. God had taken care of me. Won't He do it.
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