This is a “twofer” week. This post is part of the Five Minute Friday link-up and Day 4 (for me) of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge. Today we are using the FMF prompt BUILD and we write what’s on our heart, unedited for five minutes (hmmm…).
Start –
2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (NIV)
For years I was busy building a career by trusting myself and my ability to work hard, and it worked. I worked longer hours than most. I raised my hand for every opportunity. I was completely out of control with the desire to achieve. When I hit a wall in advancement, I went back to school full time, while working full time (that six years is just a blurry memory now). I did it! Did I?
After the career took a hard-left turn last year, and family responsibilities moved to the forefront, I realized that achievement on its own isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being a wife and caregiver is a harder balancing act than being at the top of any org chart and you don’t need an MBA to do it.
You need Jesus. That’s all. He is our portion and more than enough. (Lamentations 3:24, Ps. 16:5).
Jerimiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
That MBA, it’s not wasted. A thought I wallowed in for about six months. Recovering now, I know that everything was part of the plan for this new season. He brought me to an employer that still paid for education – 100%. Yes, really! He arranged for me to go to a Christian college where bible classes were required. He developed certain skills in me like writing, researching, and time management. Then he softened my natural tendancies with self-discipline and commitment. Those things were not something I could have managed on my own, it was the power of the Holy Spirit in me (2 Tim 1:7). Jesus redeemed it all. He equipped me for a purpose (Jerimiah 29:11) and, in Christ, I intend to trust Him and live in it.
Can you look back at an experience that devastated you and see that it was all part of God’s plan for your new season?
– End
Thanks for sharing. He’s so excellent at bringing us into His ways. Blessings on the journey!
Your words are encouraging. His ways are always best for us. Thanks for stopping by.
It’s amazing how God can build something new even when things look messy to us. I have definitely known times like this in my own life.
Yes, the clarity of circumstances, when revealed, truly brings a new gratitude and freedom in Christ. Thanks for stopping by.
Well-said. It’s something I had to struggle with, when my PhD suddenly became redundant to the life in which I found myself.
You inspired this. Hope you don’t mind?
All those years, all that work
spun fast down the drain,
and my uselessness was a dirk
to the center of my brain.
I had defined my inner self
in grandiose aspiration,
and when that was placed on the shelf
I faced devastation.
But like a slow winter-dawn
it came gradually clear
that I had placed my faith upon
a foaming head of beer.
The foamy top looks good, I think,
but what’s below what you drink.
Aargh. Last line should read “but what’s below is what you drink.”
Andrew – how could I mind? It’s a great perspective and I appreciate your poetry. An extra bonus-you teach me new words. Dirk this time, chiaroscuro last time. I appreciate your writing and the time you take to share it. Take care. Praying for you today. May God comfort you and give you joy.
Great post!
There have been times when I’ve wondered if I wasted the three years I spent studying journalism, since I didn’t pursue that career, but I am beginning to see that the research and listening skills I gained have stayed with me and enabled me to engage well (not perfectly, no, but well) with varying opinions and people.
Looking back has a way of untangling things sometimes. God is always preparing us for something. Thanks for stopping by.