I remember my first few months as a new resident in Canada.

I didn’t want 3rd party information concerning ANYTHING so I attended almost every seminar, workshop and programme organized for new immigrants. Thankfully, the organizers were always kind enough to provide childcare so I wasn’t worried about where to keep my kids.

During one of the sessions on job search and how to apply for jobs, one of the facilitators advised us to avoid posting faith-based articles or write-ups on our social media accounts. He said some employers may find it offensive and we could lose great job opportunities. He also advised that the same applies when we become employed because we could lose promotions and other growth opportunities if our employers find out that we have strong religious beliefs.

It didn’t make sense to me. Where I come from, we had morning devotions in the office 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️ so this sounded a bit strange to me. When he was done, I raised my hand up to ask a few questions. He obliged me. I expressed my concerns and discomfort. I told him that as long as I wasn’t deliberately hurting anyone with my beliefs, I have the right to express them, especially on my private social media handles. He tried to explain further but as some point, I decided not to continue with the conversation anymore. I realized that it didn’t matter how I felt about his advice; he was ready to defend it. Besides, he has been on the system for years so it could be that he was either stating a fact or speaking based on a one-off personal experience.

I knew that as a potential employee, I didn’t have plans to become a nuisance intentionally just because I wanted to talk about my faith and belief in God; at the same time I knew I wasn’t going to hide it from anyone who cared to listen but then I was worried – what if I actually lose some wonderful job or career growth opportunities because of this?

That was when I remembered this verse in the Bible:

“the earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness.”

The earth.

Its fullness(this includes job opportunities).

They all belong to God.

When an owner gives an instruction for any of his properties to be released, the custodians have no choice.

They obey.

At this point, I stopped worrying. I just decided to do my part, which is to be well-prepared for the job opportunities that will come my way. I went back to school, completed a one-year post-graduate certificate program in Human Resources and started my search for a job. Three months into my search, I still could not find a job in my field, not because of the ‘public’ show of my Christian faith and strong convictions, but because I didn’t have what they call the ‘Canadian work experience’. I decided to take up a job in a Call Centre as a sales agent just to have that experience recorded on my resume. Five months later, a HR position was advertised in the same company. I applied and I was hired (this one is a story for another day!).

Dear yoke-fellow,

stand firm on the faith that you profess.

Be faithful to the One you have chosen to serve.

Be proud of the One you call Father.

“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”