Rest Assured

Story time!

The other day I was having a conversation with my boyfriend, and he said a very profound thing to me. He said, as human beings we tend to worry about things and that's where we normally lack in our lives. One of the most popular things we tend to worry about are our finances. And I can say this for myself that money is one of the things I think about all the time. Am I going to be able to afford this? How much will that cost? And the most pressing question: Will I have enough? He continued on with saying that we need to operate in rest over things that we would normally fret over.


I didn't know then that this discussion would ring true for me in just a few short days. I'm a Supports Coordinator at the county mental health office in East Stroudsburg. I had gotten this job just 7 short months ago after a hiatus of not working full time. It was a long time coming, and I was so thankful and grateful to have one. On Monday though, exactly one month from my 25th birthday, I got fired.

YUP, you read it right. Fired. Me. In my 25 years of living, I had never so much as gotten suspended from school or a note sent home. And on Monday, I sat looking unemployment in the face.While I could get into that story, I'll save it for another time. And as I left my now, former place of employment, I did one thing; I adopted a state of rest.

I know what you're thinking: BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?! And for a split second, I thought those same things. Where will I go next? Is this termination going to impact my ability to get another job? WHAT ABOUT THE MONEYYYYYYY?!

Fast forward 10 hours later, I had calmed down (even more than I already was, again Praise God) some more.  I placed a phone call to an outpatient clinic that I previously interned for when I was still  getting my Master's degree. I had built quite a rapport with the director and one of the secretaries there. During my conversation with her, she told me "You're always welcome here. He's available today if you want to come in and chat."

At this point, I still wasn't expecting anything, and I wasn't worried.On the drive there, the song "I Won't Go Back" by William McDowell was laid upon my heart. As I drove and listened to the song, the words "there's nothing to go back to." resonated with me. And I thought to myself, that while I would love to go back to my old job and explain that there must have been some kind of mistake, it wasn't worth it. The sense of calm that came over me as I left that place was one clue to that.

So I arrived at the clinic, with nothing in hand, again ready to tell the story of my departure from my old gig. After about 20 minutes of casual conversation and catching up, I was handed a job application. And coupled with this stack of paper were two simple questions.
1. How many hours a week are you going to work for us?
2. How soon can you get this back so that we can get you started?

It took me almost a full two hours later to process the roller coaster of the day before and this moment. Fired and then re-hired that quickly.So I essentially had one door slammed in my face, to be met with another door wide open and waiting. All of these life changes were possible because I never left the presence of the Lord. The peace that I felt during the most trying hours of Monday into the more triumphant hours of Tuesday was not my doing. For me, the type-A individual who likes to plan out breakfast to what pajamas I'm going to wear to bed, could never stay that calm. But in his presence, I was at rest. And what blessings awaited me! I say all of this to say that it's very easy to praise and adore the Lord when it's easy. It's easy to do when you're on top of the world. But what about when it doesn't seem so great? Will you stand firm?

Exodus 33: 14- And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Proverbs 3:5-7- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all you ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths.

Stay encouraged,
Brieana.