If you were to ask me 5 years ago where I would like see myself when I was 25 years old, the answer would defintely not have been "unemployed and about to embark on an 11 month long mission trip." My answer would have been something along the lines of "working at a marketing company where I have the opportunity to travel abroad and have a lot of money in the bank." Needless to say, the latter of the two is not where I am right now in life.
This last month of my life has definitely taken an unexpected turn that I did not forsee coming. It all started when I was unexpectedly fired from my job in early July. Talk about a blow to my ego and and an overwhelming feeling of worthlessness and embarassment! Although I had been unhappy at my job for quite some time, I never in a million years thought that I would ever be fired from a job. However, over these last few weeks, God has used this situation to show me two very important things: He answers prayers and He will provide.
I can without a doubt say that getting fired from my job was an answer to a prayer. For several months I had prayed almost daily for God to reveal His plan for me with clarity when it came to my unhappiness at my job. I was struggling on a daily basis to be content (let alone happy) at my job. I liked the people I worked with, but I just did not like what I did. I prayed that God would clearly show me what He wanted me to do with my job situation. Well friends, I am happy to point out the obvious to you if you didn't already know it or believe it — "what you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matthew 21:22). I definitely had faith that God would lead me where He wanted me to be… I just didn't ever think that would involve me getting fired
.
WIthout God, I am nothing
Despite this kink in my life plan, I have learned a valuable lession that is worth so much more than a paycheck or job security: without God, I am nothing. Over these past few weeks I have prayed and journaled a lot and come to the realization that it doesn't matter how much money I have in the bank, what kind of car I drive, what brand of clothing I wear, how many friends I have on Facebook or what I am doing this Friday night. What matters is your relationship with Christ, for "apart from [Him] you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
My prayer for you is that God will use every situation and circumstance in your life to reveal His love for you. He has a plan for all of us, and sometimes His plan is the exact opposite of what we think it should be. I do not know where I will be living a month from now or what my financial situation will be, but I know that God is in control and that He will provide because "…God will will supply every need of [mine] according to his riches in the glory of Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). If God brings you to it, He will lead you through it!
So where am I now? I am currently unemployed and optimistically praying that God will lead me to where He wants and needs me to be in the last few months before I leave in January for the World Race. My prayer can be summed up by this song by Hillsong United:
