Amazing! That is what this whole experience has been thus far. If somebody would have told me a year ago this time that I would be going on this incredible journey I would have likely not believed them because that wasn’t part of the plan…my plan.
This life I have lived here on earth thus far has proven to be a huge roller coaster with a fine line between tragedy and joy but through it all God has been constant. I always knew He was there. I grew up in church and I believed in Jesus and some day I would start living my life for Him completely…someday, that was the plan. Someday seemed to be series of phases. Something would happen that would ignite my fire for Him but with time it would die down and He would fall down on my priority list. I seemed to believe the common misconception that society tries to feed us, that work and money should be our first priority. I spent most of 2014 and part of 2015 in Columbus, OH being a workaholic and giving my job the best part of me. My life outside of work seemed to consist of cooking, cleaning, and working out. My social life was non-existent and church seemed like an untouchable desire with my regularly scheduled Sunday shifts.
I was letting my job inhibit my growth in Christ but it wasn’t until I left it that I realized that. It wasn’t until I started pursuing Him that I realized the difference, that I realized someday had finally come and someday would remain constant because this time it was different. This time it was deeper, this time our relationship would go further and have longevity like never before. I had planned to remain at my job for three years knowing full well that it is not how I wanted to spend this life on earth but I told myself, everyone does the grunt work right when they graduate college. I told myself I’d stay there for three years, that at 27 I’d still be young and could take my sabbatical and move on. I was willing to spend three years in a job that was nothing short of life sucking. Looking back now it seems ludicrous!
Well after returning from vacation my employer informed me that my position was no longer needed and the only explanation they could give me was lack of desired progress. I asked for some type of example so that I might have closure and they apologized saying they couldn’t give any. I was devastated. I had uprooted myself from my hometown and moved four hours from everybody and felt cm. I had spent over a year pouring my heart and soul into a position simply to be let go without explanation. It took me a while to get over the hurt but when I did, God showed me beauty from pain. I realized that getting fired would never not hurt because nobody likes to feel rejected. I also realized that I could find more comfort than I could ever desire through Jesus. I felt as if the Lord told me, “Now is your someday Julie, no more putting me on the back burner. I want to be at the center of your life and your career is no longer an excuse.”
I spent my days reading the word and praying for direction for what God had for my life, hoping He would show me. I was applying for jobs outside of my field for weeks and nothing felt right. I remember the day and the moment very clearly that God put on my heart what His plan was. I was at my best friend’s bridal shower and I was talking to her aunt about my job situation. She asked me, “What does your heart tell you to do?” I told her that I had always felt like I should serve in the mission field. She told me about the World Race and some other trips and gave me the contact information of young people that had gone in the past. When she mentioned the Race I felt as if I got punched in the stomach and in that moment I felt strongly this was God’s plan for me. I spent a little while praying about it and asking the Lord for signs. He continued to reveal that He desired me to go and after about a month of interviews I was accepted and said Yes!
I spent a little while praying about it and asking the Lord for signs. He continued to reveal that He desired me to go and after about a month of interviews I was accepted and said Yes!
Although this isn’t the plan I would have had for my life a year ago, it’s so much better. God has taken care of me, guided me, instilled a desire to pursue him like I’ve never experienced, and has called me to this amazing opportunity. Every day I give to Him, every day I humble myself to His plan because it is immensely greater than anything I can imagine and while I do not always understand it I do to trust Him and believe He will continue to protect and guide me.
Jeremiah 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.
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
I’m holding strong to His promises and trusting His plan and from the moment I accepted this amazing opportunity my plans were exiled to the back burner. I choose to trust my Creator and base my identity not on the trivial things of this world but in Christ. Every day I grow stronger in Him and every day I feel assured that this the plan He has for my life. I do not claim to be a perfect christian and I definitely have a lot to learn, study, and apply but I am grateful that I have the opportunity to share that with people who might otherwise not know about Him, our wonderful, magnificent creator, and the maker of all plans. <3
