God Builds a Path at Southern Adventist University

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country in 2020, Justin Rogers grew nervous about being able to find a job. On the cusp of graduating from Southern Adventist University (SAU) in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in construction management, he watched more and more industries enter lockdowns.

Justin’s career options seemed slim, and he began questioning what he had believed was his God-ordained path. But he soon discovered that God was building a path for his future.

How It Began

Justin grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and was involved in gymnastics throughout his childhood. His love for the sport ultimately led him to attend SAU in Collegedale, Tennessee, and join the university’s Gym-Masters acrobatic team. Originally choosing to major in pre-physical therapy, Justin found his attention shifting to landscaping, his campus job at the time, and then transitioning to construction management during his sophomore year, after realizing how the discipline fit his analytical personality and expertise in solving problems.

In the meantime, Justin was invited to use his aptitude for gymnastics to coach at a gym not far from the SAU campus. He enjoyed coaching so much that he considered doing it full-time after he was given the option to purchase and operate the gym. However, Justin decided to “try God” by praying about the decision and asking Him if this was the right direction.

“I had never really prayed about anything that big before in my life,” Justin explains. “I soon felt that God was telling me not to move ahead with the gym, so I declined the offer.”

Called to Construction  

When Justin’s last semester shifted to virtual learning due to COVID-19, he felt frustrated that God had seemingly put him in a tight spot by impressing him to pass up coaching, but he continued trusting that God would provide. He prayed and fasted, but still he got no job leads through April 30. The next morning, Justin received a call from Chattanooga-based P&C Construction. He interviewed that day, which included taking an intensive exam to demonstrate his knowledge in the field, and was hired on the spot.

As a superintendent, Justin manages multiple projects, organizes subcontractors, and interfaces with clients. The company did not know he was a Seventh-day Adventist, so his first assignment, at SAU’s sister school, Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, further affirmed to him that he was in the right place at the right time.

“There is no way you can convince me that God didn’t orchestrate all of this,” Justin says. “He showed up above and beyond in every situation.”

Founded in 1892, Southern Adventist University provides a high-quality Christian education to more than 3,100 students currently earning degrees ranging from associate to doctoral. Grounded in Jesus Christ and dedicated to the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the university equips students to embrace biblical truth, embody academic and professional excellence, and pursue Spirit-filled lives of service.

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Adventist University news site.