Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

About three years ago, I began to feel the Lord calling me to step away from my job. It was my dream job, and I had managed to land right out of the gate in my career. I just knew that I would retire from that place. I loved this job, and for so long, I had felt wonderfully fulfilled by the work that I did there. 

But seasons changed. I became a mother of two, and slowly it became clear that my time in that role was coming to an end. I knew it deep down, but I wasn’t ready to accept it. I didn’t want to let it go and choosing to hold on left me unhappy, unfulfilled, and emotionally drained for nearly a year.

When I sat down to read today’s Scripture, I stopped right after the fourth verse. These words hit me hard and immediately brought me back to that season:

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
He turns it wherever He will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.” 
Proverbs 21:1–4

Reading that, it was so clear how God had been gently preparing my heart long before I was ready to admit it (verse 1). I tried to ignore it. Not because I didn’t love Him, but because I was scared. I saw so much ministry in what I was doing. I was helping people in real, meaningful ways. So I kept telling myself, “This must still be where God wants me,” even though I continually felt more and more unsettled (verse 2).

The truth is, the good I was doing there was costing me a lot. I was sacrificing my time, my energy, and honestly, the best version of myself for others while my own family got what was left. I used to think that kind of sacrifice was noble and necessary (verse 3). But looking back, I see how much of it was rooted in pride and fear and how I was actually holding onto something that God had already asked me to release. That’s hard to admit. It didn’t feel like sin at the time. I was doing “good things.” But ignoring God’s voice? That’s disobedience. And that’s what was keeping me from experiencing what He had next for me (verse 4).

When I finally stepped into obedience and walked away from that job, everything began to shift. My family started to flourish. I was able to show up for them in ways I hadn’t in a long time. I finally felt like myself again, not the burnt-out and depleted version, but the one who has peace and joy and space to breathe. I know without a doubt that I am now exactly where God wants me to be. 

Let’s be clear, though: obedience didn’t feel easy. It meant getting uncomfortable. It meant upsetting people (which tops my list of things that I really don’t like to do) and making a major life change (a close second). It stretched and grew me in ways that I never expected. This experience, unlike anything before, taught me that the life God calls us to isn’t always the most comfortable, but it is the most faithful. And faithfulness, though it often comes with little discomfort, is always wrapped in God’s love and goodness.

I don’t know what season you are finding yourself in today. Maybe you are entering a season of change, exiting one, or stuck right in the middle. No matter where you are in this journey, I want to encourage you to lean into the discomfort. Lean into the call. Lean into obedience. It might feel scary at first, but as Scripture assures us, what God has planned is far greater than anything we could imagine for ourselves..

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.