A Journey of Rest, and a Task Unexpected

"There is no end to the choices we must make daily, nor a limit to how weighty these decisions can seem at times. Even small decisions sometimes have large implications - and we fear we lack the ability to choose wisely... but today's crossroads aren't meant to highlight our own wisdom or ability to stay on course, but rather to reveal where we place our confidence." - "GraceLaced"

"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." -Psalm 9:10

"God assures His people, promising, 'I am with you.' He doesn't promise victory on their terms, safety according to their ideas of comfort, or a timeline that makes sense, but the Lord is faithful to tell His children that He is near, ever present, and carrying them." - "GraceLaced"

I've talked many times this year about how the Lord has been taking me through a journey of learning to rest, and what that has meant. How it didn't mean working less, but trusting more - working less through myself and more to follow Christ, even if where He led me didn't make "sense" or appear to be my first choice of where to be.

One way that this journey has taken me around a previously unexpected bend, was my decision to apply for a job. I have never been opposed to having a job - I believe we can serve God wherever we are, as long as we do it with a heart grounded in his word and eager for His glory. I have run my own small business, and done several volunteer "jobs" outside of the home, and I have been seeking out an opportunity to become a caregiver for the disabled for several years now.

It wasn't applying to a job that caused me to have to really trust that God had a plan for my life, but the fact that it wasn't the job I had in mind. I have hoped, for years, to have that very certain job of respite care giving. Over the past couple of years, as I dig further into the requirements for this field, I find more and more that it's not something I can just begin. I need experience working with the disabled in a professional setting, I need RNA certification, I possibly need to have worked with children professionally, as well, among other things. The problem is, I couldn't just jump into those things, either. They will require money and prepration. And, though I fought for a long time - at first, subconsciously, and then, as I realized what was really going on in my mind, back and forth with myself - because, in a way, I think I felt like taking any other job was giving up on my dreams, failing my calling.

But slowly I began to realize that it wasn't at all. If I took this step, I wouldn't be giving up. I would be preparing. Investing. Moving closer and growing into who I am meant to be.

And so, with a lot of wise encouragement from my Mama, and a lot of wise counsel from my Daddy, I prayed that I was taking the right step. I looked at my options. I weighed the pros and cons. I made a decision. And I applied. And then I prayed even harder - prayed that I had made the right choice, that God would close the door if I hadn't, and prayed that I would serve Him well by serving others, even if it was not where I wanted to serve long-term.

And after two long days of wondering if I had done the right thing, not because I thought I was wrong, but because it was the biggest, most life-changing decision I had ever made, the ball started rolling - and fast. It was so neat to watch God at work, showing me again and again that He just wanted me to be willing to follow where He was leading, even if it wasn't easy, wasn't where I expected to be. All He asked of me was a willing heart, and He would provide all that was needed to do the work.

In ways that I would never have designed on my own, but which have already blessed me in so many ways!

Rejoicing in Christ,
Bri