There's Power in being Still
When the life that you are living doesn’t reflect what you invisioned, how do you move forward? It’s a rhetorical question because really no matter what phase of life you’re in, you only have two options keep going or give up. As for me there’s only one option KEEP ON GOING. Giving up is not an option for me. I didn’t always feel like this though, there have been times when I felt like quitting was my only option. And that brings me to the topic of careers. Five and a half years ago you’d thought I was the happiest girl alive. I recieved an email stating I had been hired to work for the United States Postal Service. Me? Little ole me? I was estatic. See I was looking at the money aspect. I've always heard that Postal workers make alot of money and their retirements were sweet. Therefore I was one joyous individual, knowing I'd now be apart of it.
What I didnt know was that being a mail carrier was some “real” work. I mean I knew the motto rain, sleet, snow, but I guess I hadn’t thought this one all the way through. My first week I wanted to quit. The job I though would fix everything for me turned out to be a dud. They lied to me, I exclaimed. Who they are, well exactly I couldn’t tell you, but whoever they are, THEY LIED. I had to walk 10- 12 miles a day, sometimes more carrying a satchel full of mail in the New Orleans heat. What the hell was I thinking? Why hadn’t I put more thought into this? Then to top it all off, The Postal Service had just signed a contract with Amazon to start Sunday delivery, so yea about those Sundays off, we renig.
After learning all this job entailed, I was done. Done you hear me, but I just couldn't find a way out. God made me be still. In this case being still actually meant staying in place, because although I absolutely hated the job I stuck it out for 5 and half years. People still ask me how I did and I can only say it was the grace of God that sustained me. What I didn't know was that God was actually hearing my prayers. He heard my cries, and the saying “God moves in His time, but on time” is definetly true. trust me, its all facts. See God doesn’t move when we want Him to move. He’s strategic and his thoughts and ways are way above ours. So the misery I thought I was living in was actually preparing the way for better. You know those word you have to go through to get through, also true. God was taking me through this unpleasant season because it was during this time that he was preparing me for my next season. If we never go through anything we’d never place our dependcy on HIm.
Five years of doing the unpleasant job, years of being looked over for promotion, five yars of what I thought was wasted time was all preparation. See I wasn't all talk during this time. I must admit I would cry, whine and pray for better. At times I felt like my prayers were going unanswered, I continuously searched for new jopbs, but never succeeded in landing anything. At one point I decided that this would be my miserable life for the next 25 years and I’d just have to deal with it, but then God moved. He moved and I hadn't even realized He was moving.
I developed Carpal Tunnel and it was so bad that I had to have surgery. This was my first surgery and I was very reluctant but, I was losing the function of my hand, so I really had no choice. I gave in and opted to have the surgery, thinking I was moving in my own pace but, God was doing all the arrangments. When I’d finally given in to the life set forth God took me out of my element for 8 weeks. 8 weeks of no work. 8 weeks of kinda of missing the job I disliked so much, because no work, no pay. Thank God that he sometimes has to make you be still to understand HIS power and that's what he did with me. After having surgery I talked with God more, I sought Him like truly sought HIM. And in those moments of stillness God reminded me who He was. My provider, my healer, my everything. I went back to the Post Office for one week and God blessed me with another Job. 5 whole years of continuous praying and the moment I sat still He moved.
This post is here to encourage you to trust God. He hears you, those prayers you keep praying yet seem to go unnoticed, He hears those. God doesn't operate like us and he doesn't move when we want Him too. Be joyous but steadfastly praying in your situation. Be unmovable and sit still for awhile because if we contine to move ourselves we dont give God the opportunity to move us. I learned that being still is not alwways a bad thing. so like ya moma used to say, Go sit down somewhere, I'll add this and let God work. So go sit down somewhere and let God work, He told us to be still and know that He is God. So I'm going find me a seat. What about you?
All Love,
