Career vs. Calling…

Right now for book club we are reading The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. He is the president of World Vision and the books is about how we went from being a highly paid CEO to being the president of World Vision.

The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer that Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World [Book]

There is a part in the book where he talks about your career vs. your calling. Growing up in America makes it is easy to think what am I going to do with my life…meaning my career…but we need to be aware of what God is calling us to do. Often we get so caught up in our career that we aren’t even paying attention to what God is calling us to do. A few quotes from the book really stood out to me and challenged me.

“Are we willing to take the outrageous risk and do the unpredictable thing?”

“A career becomes the altar on which they sacrifice their lives”

“A career is something I choose for myself, a calling is something I receive from God”

“A career is something I do for myself,  a calling is something I do for God”
 
“A career often promises status, money or power, but a calling generally promises difficulty, and even some suffering, and the opportunity to be used by God”

I’m not saying we should all drop what we are doing and run away from our careers but this part of the book really made me think twice about what God is calling me to do and what God is calling Tom and I to do. Are you listening to God and really seeking what he wants you to do with your life? It’s so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day life and be completely ignoring what God is asking us to do.

I’m a huge fan of missons…short term and long term…this book has really opened my eyes and challenged me. I’m not done with it yet but would highly recommend it…just be prepared to be challenged!

Trust…It’s Not Always Easy

I just had a few thoughts on my mind and wanted to share them…

God has been working on my heart – teaching me to trust him in multiple areas, things that seem impossible and things that I have no control over…this week was no exception.

At church on Sunday we were talking about tithing and trusting God with our finances and I was challenged in a way I wasn’t expecting. Tom and I have been faithful to tithe each month but I was still challenged. I’m the one that pays the bills each month and it’s always been just another bill I’ve paid. This week I was challenged to pay our tithe first. Give God our “first fruits” and do it with a thankful heart. We have been blessed in both our jobs and have always been able to pay it so I didn’t see it as a problem to pay it last. The thing is our situation could change at any moment and we need to always be thankful and bringing him our money first.

So as the one who pays the bills I made the decision that it would be the first bill I pay. That afternoon God blessed us with the PERFECT chair for the baby’s nursery…some may see it a coincidence but I don’t. I’ve been looking for an upholstered glider for our nursery on Craigslist for the last couple months. I couldn’t even find the right color and if I did find one they were always super overpriced. Well this one was about 10 minutes from my house, the EXACT color i wanted and only $50!! I almost died! I feel like it was just a little reminder from God that he knows our desires…even the small ones that seem unimportant.

The next day I got the mail and we were hit with 3 unexpected medical bills, Tom mentioned that the car had been making really weird sounds and needed to go into the shop and our monthly PUD bill went up by $60 per month…needless to say I was feeling a little discouraged…but I had made the decision tithe first and then we will trust God for the rest! Well today the mechanic told us the car would need a minimum of $600 in repairs plus we need to do the brake pads and rotors!! Not the best report (although it could be worse) we told them to go ahead and take care of the problems. Well within an hour Tom called me to tell me all the OT he had been working was almost the EXACT amount we would be paying to have the car fixed…he got paid today and we will be able to cover the cost of the car repair without even dipping into our savings!

I just had to share because it’s not always easy to trust but since I’ve made a decision 3 days ago I’ve already seen God’s hand in our finances! We are truly blesses and couldn’t do it without him!

Gratefulness in Every Circumstance

Today was a crazy day! I had a REALLY busy day at work and then got off early so I could go get my blood drawn. When I got to the lab I had to wait almost half an hour for my turn. The tech tried two times but couldn’t get my vein (a common problem for me). He looked at me and told me I had to come back tomorrow. I almost cired…I was thinking does he know how hard it is to be a working mom!! I got of early to do this!! With a 3-year-old in tow!! I know he tried his hardest he was apologizing profusely

As soon as we left my daughter started throwing a massive fit in the parking lot because she didn’t want to go home. I called the other lab near by to see if they could try. The sweet woman on the phone with a Russian accent told me she could try if I made in before they closed…in 20 minutes. I told her I would do my best but didn’t know if I would make it. It all depended on traffic. She said she would stay late for me if necessary. I made it to the lab with 10 minutes to spare, she was able to draw my blood on the first try and even gave my daughter a sticker for begin so patient.

I was reminded by a friend that someone likely had a worse day then I did today. Here are a few things I’m grateful for inspite of my crazy day

I’m grateful for the sweet Russian woman at the U District Labcorp
For access to healthcare
For health insurance to pay my bill
For a Burger King drive through that provides us dinner 🙂
For a sweet, healthy, strong-willed daughter (just like me)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus