What It Feels Like to Get Promoted
Johannes Adendorff, the author of A Different Plan, describes the excitement and uncertainty that comes with promotion—and how talking to God can help.
I sat back in my chair, staring at my computer screen. It was just another day in the office as a software developer.
Except, today, a German woman named Anabel sat next to me. She pointed to the screen. “How does this part work?”
I looked over at her, suppressing a sigh. I wondered if she was some sort of test sent to me from the head company in Germany, maybe to oversee my work or test my capabilities. If not, she was definitely the most curious developer I’d ever met. She’d already asked question after question, scribbling her notes down in a little black notebook.
Either way, I had to be nice.
Shoving my thoughts down, I started to describe the steps in the most detail possible. She raised her eyebrows as I continued and began writing in her notebook again.
It was only two weeks later when a higher up called me into the company’s headquarters in East London. Soon, I sat across from him in his office as he gave me a smile.
“How would you like to go to Germany?”
“To visit?”
The boss’s smile grew. “To work for the software development team in the head office.”
My head swam with all the possibilities. The last time I’d left South Africa to live somewhere else, it’d been due to my own wishes. This time, I wanted to make sure Jesus wanted me to follow this new path to Germany.
Before I gave the boss my answer, I went to my local pastor and told him of my concerns. When we prayed together, my path became clear.
The next day, I found myself on the phone with the boss. “It would be an honor to take this position in Germany,” I told him.
Rather than dreading the move, I was excited. The Lord had told me to trust in Him. Anabel—who turned out to be a team leader at the head company in Germany—had been brought into the office that day for a reason, and she’d found my work satisfactory enough to offer me a position. A sense of “rightness” had come over me.
With the blessing of my pastor and my new job ahead of me, I was ready for Germany and all it had to offer.
A former military man and professional skydiver, Johannes Adendorff shares his experiences of overcoming adversity in his memoir, A Different Plan. After years of life in the skies, Adendorff commits his time to spreading God’s message and encouraging others to live for Jesus Christ. You can contact Johannes here.