22 Nov 2015 The gift of change

by Karl Lenser

“The times, they are a-changin.” — Bob Dylan
“Where there is crisis, there is opportunity.” — Sioux Proverb

We are soon going to be entering 2016 and many of you have already begun to think about some resolutions. Although it is exciting and fun to think ahead and plan for the new year, let’s not forget to think back to 2015 and be thankful for the good things that we experienced throughout the year. This is also a good time to look back and reflect on any major changes or obstacles that arose and how you overcame them.

I experienced a major change in my life in August when my position as director of wellness programs at Hendrix College was eliminated. This was a big stressor as I had to look for a new job and put our house on the market as I expected to have to move out of Arkansas to find a new employer.

Throughout this time, my family and I prayed that God would provide for us and would place us where he wanted us to be. As we told many people, “God has a plan for us — we just don’t know it yet.” I had interviews with Arizona State, Utah State, Lamar University, as well as a hospital in Missouri and a YMCA in Greenville, S.C., and a few other corporate fitness management facilities in Texas and Georgia. I had plenty of interviews, but no offers.

However, I did have an interview in early October with the University of Arkansas-Little Rock (UALR) to head up a new position in their Employee Wellness Program. Within seven days of the interview, I was offered the position as their employee wellness coordinator. I accepted the offer and have been working at UALR since the middle of November. It was such a great feeling knowing that we did not have to move out of Conway or Arkansas.

Dealing with two major stressors (job hunting and selling our house) during this time was not a lot of fun, but having faith in God and in the power of prayer made a huge difference. We sold our home in two weeks, and during the week that we received an offer on our home, I received the offer from UALR. It was a great week for the Lenser family!

I love my new position at UALR and am adjusting my workout schedule to make sure the commute does not hamper my exercise routine. I am thankful for this position and for all of the friends that prayed for us during September and October.

A few lessons learned from my experience:

Be thankful for everything you have.
God listens to and answers prayers (in His time schedule, not ours).
What seems to be a negative can turn into a positive.
Make every day a “Thanks-Living Holiday” and a “Happy New Day.”

A Conway resident, Karl Lenser is the director of wellness programs at Hendrix College. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. An accomplished runner, he can be reached at [email protected].