Peace or no Peace...that is the Question.
Wondering what to do in life can be so challenging at times…should I take this job? Should I stay home with the kids? Should I do this or that? What about my career and my dreams, and where do they come into play? Will I ever really do what I feel God has called me to do?
I’ve been hearing these types of questions so much lately…whether it’s from family members, friends, or even myself, everyone is always wondering if they’ve chosen correctly. Answering this question of knowing exactly what God wants you to do in a certain situation or event in life can be very difficult at times. All the different things that you could choose from seem like good options, but which one truly is the best? What is really God’s best for my life? Which decision should I make that will truly honor God?
These are all decisions that are so very important in life. I know for me, I just gave up a job working at the YMCA because I felt like the Lord was leading me to. It was a great job with great people, and it was flexible to fit around my schedule. When the kids were sick and needed to be home from school, my supervisor was always so gracious and helped me find someone to cover my shift and if it wasn’t, there were no hard feelings. A job like that one is definitely hard to come by. I believe that God was even ministering through me to many different co-workers and people there. It seemed to be a great fit for awhile…but then I felt like it was time to move on. I had only been working there for about six months, but I sensed in my spirit that God wanted me to let go of this job. I went back and forth for quite a while, and then finally decided to put in my 2 weeks notice. Sure, the extra money every month was nice and meeting new people was great, too. Even the free membership at the YMCA was a great perk, but none of those things compared AT ALL to the PEACE that I experienced when I walked out those doors for the last time as an employee. It wasn’t as if I was leaving prison, I mean, the Y was a great place…but it wasn’t for me, and God knew it. He had better plans for me. And for the first time in quite a while I’m at peace with what I’m doing in life. I don’t feel as if I’m in a battle anymore for the time that God has given me and the calling that He’s placed on my life.
For many years I’ve gone from one job to another trying to help “make ends meet” for our family. I’ve done everything from working in the Kid’s club at Gold’s Gym (and if anyone knows me, working with kids is NOT my preference) to delivering free publications to gas stations and grocery stores. I even helped in the accounting office at my church for a season…all of these things were done with kids in tow, and it was not very easy. They never enjoyed it, either, which made it all the more difficult for me to do a good job. At one point I had 4 different jobs, and I honestly hated every minute of it. I always had something looming over my head to get done, and I couldn’t stand it. That was definitely NOT a peaceful time in my life. It was hard to stay focused on what was really important during those times because I had so many other things (that I decided to put there) competing for my time and energy. I rarely had quality time with the family, and when I did, I was always thinking about what else I needed to get done.
When I finally decided to walk away from the YMCA, for me, it was a decision to finally trust God to provide. No longer was I going to strive to make money for the family at any expense. No longer was I going to let what I thought overrule what GOD thought. It’s not easy to let go of a source of income that is part of your working budget every month, but God knew better. We’ve been more blessed financially ever since then, and I know that God will continue to provide, even when I can’t see where it’s coming from. He’s just that trustworthy. He’s just that faithful. He always keeps His promises, so I choose to believe Him and His word.
If there’s a job or something that you’ve chosen to do in life that has “run out of peace” then maybe it’s time to re-evaluate why you’re doing it. Is it because you don’t trust God to make ends meet, so you NEED this job? Is it because you’re doing it to please someone else, but really don’t want to or feel called to do it? Maybe you’ve been doing it for so long that you don’t want to let anyone down by giving it up. I truly believe that if God calls you to do something, or to continue to do something that there will be a peace in your soul like no other. There will be a “knowing” in your spirit that you’re doing the right thing, and if that’s not there, then maybe, just maybe it’s time to take a step of faith and just say no. Life is way too short and our time is way too valuable to let others demand of us things that God doesn’t want us to do. If God has called me to be a stay at home mom and that’s all I need to do in this season, then getting another job is going against His will for me and I’ll never experience the fullness of his peace. If God’s called me to get a job, then there most certainly will be the grace and peace of God surrounding it. It won’t be full of toil or strife. Even if the job is a difficult one, there still will be a tranquility inside that can only come from God, confirming I’m exactly where He wants me.
I challenge you to ask yourself if what you’re doing in your life is bringing you peace. Are the things you’re doing creating strife and stress? If so, ask God to bring peace to that area. If it doesn’t arrive, chances are it’s time to let it go. Just trust Him to meet your every need…He’ll never hesitate to do it.
