God has an interesting way of getting us where He wants us to be. Last year this time I was working at a chiropractors office. I felt the Lord leading me to leave that job. So I got online and looked for another job. I found a part time position and a chiropractor’s office closer to home and I was also going to work part time at a school that I had been volunteering at for years. I scheduled the interviews. I got the jobs, things were looking better than ever. I felt like such a responsible adult. I had my own place, I was paying my own bills, and I had secured 2 new jobs before I left the one God was calling me away from. Then the other shoe dropped. I had my exit interview with my first chiropractor’s office and they informed me that the new chiropractor’s office was too close to there location for me to work there per the non-compete clause I signed 6 months earlier when I started. They said but we would love to keep you on here if you want and I politely declined even though my perfect plan had just been torn to shreds. I said I still have my job lined up at the school and that’s clearly where the Lord wants me to be.
Months passed and the reality of it was that I went from a full time job to a part time job and paying my bills on my own was now a challenge. I unintentionally hid it from everyone. It happened so gradually that it was even hard for me to recognize. I started eating before I left work and when I got home I just wasn’t hungry. So the next time I ate was at work in the morning and this went on for about a month before I mentioned it to my brother in passing not thinking much of it. He was very surprised by the information which made me think about it more and I realized something needed to change. So I leaned on my family and they lovingly helped. This couldn’t last forever though and during the summer I wouldn’t be paid at all.
Someone at work introduced me to a camp that needed workers for the summer. I applied and on my application I listed my youth pastor as a reference, so I text him and let him know just so he would have a heads up. Turns out he knew the owner and I was hired. That was definitely an answered prayer. The job included room and board for the summer, meals, and pay.
There was still the matter of my house. If I was going to be gone all summer I don’t need it. Plus the fact that my savings was running out and I really couldn’t afford it when I came home from camp. So I ended my lease and moved back in with my parents. I told my parents after the summer it’ll only be a couple months and I’ll be out of your hair.
When I came home a friend and I decided to look for places together. We would find a place we could afford, then we couldn’t get our schedules to match up to meet the landlords. Then we had the problem of finding a decent place that will accept cats. Month after month went by and nothing. I think we were both getting a little discouraged.
BUT GOD. He planned it. Me being at home with my parents means that I can leave for 11 months and not have to worry about rent and bills. The fact that I work at a school makes it an easier transition. In the mist of this season I was praying and asking God “what do you want me to do” “why is this happening” and He just kept saying “WAIT”. It was so worth the wait. I can’t tell you how tough it was to get to this point, but God stayed with me the whole way and He is continuing to clear a path for me.
-Elizabeth
