It’s been eight months since I got home from the race. Wow how time flies! So much has happened in the past eight months, and its crazy how life surprises us so unexpectedly sometimes. But the Lord always works in unexpected ways, so of course nothing happened the way I thought it would when I got home.
The first few months were pure bliss! I got to eat red and green chile again, spend time with loved ones, travel across the U.S. with a friend, and go on lots of fun adventures. It really wasn’t hard for me the first few months, and I didn’t really have any culture shock coming home. It didn’t bother me going into a grocery store, or seeing nice houses, or being able to understand everyone’s conversations around me – it felt normal, and I was just so happy to be home.
The next few months were much harder. I had applied for so many jobs, and I didn’t get one offer. I didn’t have a car and I was living with my parents. I felt like I had taken ten steps backwards. I was doing everything I possibly could to move forward. I was fighting so hard to make something happen – I felt like a hamster running on a spin wheel – I was trying so hard and getting nowhere. I felt so stuck, and it was such a terrible feeling.
Then one night I was talking to a dear friend about all of this and she spoke with so much wisdom as she told me: “JoCelyn, it’s almost a miracle you haven’t found a job yet. You have a college degree, good work experience, and you just traveled the world. Who wouldn’t want to hire you?!”
It was in that moment I realized that the Lord was the one closing all these doors in my face. I didn’t fully understand why, but I did know that he had a good purpose behind it. There was literally only ONE door that he opened for me, and it was the one door that I absolutely did not want to walk through. The only job opportunity presented to me was to go back to my old job as an insurance agent and work for my mom again. I refused to accept it for months, but when I finally realized that the Lord wanted me to go back there for a time, I finally accepted it. It was hard, but I also had a huge sense of peace about it because I knew I was being obedient.
I started working for my mom full time at the end of November. By January, I had bought a car, pre-qualified to buy a house, and got a job offer at the district office. I went from being stuck to moving forward full force – but it all happened AFTER I surrendered all of it to the Lord. Once I realized I couldn’t make any of it happen in my own strength and I left my hands open – then God provided everything at once. My heart is beating fast just typing this because He always leaves me speechless when he does his good work in our lives. It’s beautiful how much he cares about every detail of our lives.
So that’s been the overview of my life since I got home and I wouldn’t change any of it because God always teaches us important lessons through difficult circumstances. I’m so incredibly grateful.
If you would like to continue following my journey, you can follow my new blog here. I would love to stay in touch! The World Race was such a huge part of my life and I’m so thankful you were a part of it!
All my love,
JoCelyn
