When God Stretches You



I love being comfortable.  As soon as I come home from school and work, the first thing I do is change clothes.  I grab my favorite jeans, a long-sleeve t-shirt (even in summer - we keep our house cool, and I'm cold-natured), and my fuzzy socks.  I like routine.  I like to know what's going to happen next.  I don't want to shake things up.  Sometimes, though, God needs to stretch me and move me into something new.  He's stretching me right now, and I've got to say, it's not easy.

If you saw my post last week, you know that we lost our beloved 13 year old Yorkie on Monday - we had to put her to sleep due to her failing health.  It was a hard week, a week of grief for our family, but by Thursday, I was starting to do pretty well.  Then Friday came, and my boss called me to her office, where I learned that I'm facing a huge challenge at work - either take a significant pay cut, or find another job.  After more than four years at my current job, which I truly love, I left the office reeling.  My husband and I are talking, thinking, and praying about what to do and where to go next.  I'm a planner - but this was definitely not in my plans.

I know that God has a purpose in all of this.  I know He has a reason.  I know He has it under control.  I'll admit, I wish I could see the next step.  I wish I could see where this is all leading.  Tomorrow I'll start back to school as spring break ends, and I'll head into another grueling eight weeks to finish out this semester.  I'll also be pulling paperwork together to apply for a huge scholarship being offered by the company I'm an independent sales rep for, Miche.  I will definitely be trying to make a decision about my job situation and where to go from here.  I was already stressed - now it feels like even more has been put on my shoulders.  I'm not sure how this is all going to work out or even how I'm going to balance it all.  I can only trust God to work it out for me.

I'm also asking for your prayers.  I need God's wisdom and guidance.  I also need His strength and comfort when this all feels like too much.  Keep my family in your prayers as well - this adds a lot of stress for them as well.