Am I an optimist?

It is March once again, and time grows near for the annual job hunt. Nothing in my previous experience would seem to lend any sense of optimism to the awaiting season of application, and yet I am hopeful.

Am I an optimist?


Likely not. I've always been struck with a sense of fatalism.

From where springs my optimism?

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

In the past year there have been only 9 days that I would have liked to work and could not find a sub job.

That isn't me.

During this year, I have had three multi-week sub periods - two by the "accident" of being the first to accept a job that later became more than it had originally been - and the other through an invitation to sub for a teacher gone on a short-term leave of absence. Making it all the more special is that the invitation was in my area of certification (that I felt a little overwhelmed is ok, I guess, I made it through and developed a bit of confidence in my abilities as a result).

I have no firm idea of what this summer holds, but it really doesn't matter. I know I don't need to worry about it anymore. My trust isn't in me.

"Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore."
Psalm 125: 1-2