Sometimes, answered prayers don’t look the way you want them to. Sometimes they come in the form of a no… a closed door.

There was an opportunity that came through my email, which I thought would be a perfect fit. My funds were running low, and I thought this opportunity could hold me over. But I thought back to all the times I accepted opportunities that were seemingly good on the surface but eventually blew up in my face.

So I did what anyone would do in this situation when faced with making a decision: I prayed about it.

“God, if you want this for me, it has to be completely right all the way through to the end of it. And if it’s a distraction and it’s not meant for me, please take it away.”

It turns out that the opportunity fell through. It was actually a carrot-on-a-stick kind of opportunity, not even solidified. At first, I was frustrated and annoyed. Why would someone put out a feeler just to gauge interest or leads in this type of economy and get people hopeful?

But then I was reminded of my prayer, and I was left with a peaceful assurance. It wouldn’t have been the right fit, and God knew that. This was probably just a sneak peek of the culture I’d be dealing with, and it probably wouldn’t have ended well.

All that glitters isn’t gold, and I didn’t need to learn that lesson twice.