As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country in 2020, Justin Rogers, ’20, grew nervous about being able to find a job. On the cusp of graduating from Southern Adventist University in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in construction management, he watched more and more industries enter lockdowns. His career options seemed slim, and he began questioning what he believed was his God-ordained path. But, he soon discovered that God was building a path for his future.

How it Began

Rogers grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and was involved in gymnastics throughout his childhood. His love for the sport ultimately led him to attend Southern and join the university’s Gym-Masters acrobatic team. Originally choosing to major in pre-physical therapy, Rogers 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, Rogers was invited to use his aptitude for gymnastics to coach at a gym not far from Southern’s 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, Rogers 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,” Rogers 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 Rogers’ last semester shifted to virtual learning due to COVID, 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, Rogers 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, Rogers 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 Southern’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,” Rogers says. “He showed up above and beyond in every situation.”

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