New Mom Life Blog!

An unexpected Epiphany that I think most if not all people should hear!

      I choose Joy!- King and Country

               Good morning everyone! It is precisely 1:44 am and I am doing great! Why? Because I think God gave me a very important epiphany over the last several days that I want to share with all of you. This is an unexpected post so I am very excited to share my revelation! But dont worry, after this I plan to go back to Encanto and how I saw God for one more post of that!

               I want you to think really hard on this. Or if you cant think really hard I just want you to take some time to reflect and ask yourself this very simple question. 

              When was the last time you were really happy? And I am not talking about you know you were feeling good in the moment. I am talking about a real genuine joy? The kind where you enjoyed your life and not dreaded every aspect of it? 

             I will give you my biggest example that I think really opened my eyes: work. 

             America is a very workaholic driven society. We, as a culture, think its a good thing to work around the clock. I say that's wrong and I think it was a big cause of unhappiness for the longest time. 

             Colossians 3:22 says this, "You who are servants who are owned by someone, obey your owners. Work hard for them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Work for them as you would for the Lord because you honor God." ( from website about work and family life the following sentence is commentary on the verse) When we obey the authority figures in our life, we are ultimately serving Christ.

            This is a concept I did not understand until I started working at my current ( and possibly) my final job until I retire or my boss does. Let me show you what I mean. This is my work journey.

               I only had a handful of jobs in my life. I was mainly a cashier at different stores like Price Chopper, Walmart, Dollar General ect for the first couple of years from out of high school till I moved to Missouri. And I enjoyed them. But I didn't really enjoy them. Why? Because they treated me more like a slave in my opinion instead of a servant. If I was useless to them they were not afraid to get rid of me just like that. I worked quite a bit and it was a lot. I went through a lot as well. For one job, I was threated to be fired for talking about fun topics that were personal but not to personal. I was told something along the lines about we are not allowed to talk about ourselves or our families. But later that same day someone was asking my supervisor about her family and she was talking about her kids.... I was dumbfounded. Really.

              I was told I had to do better. I had to pull my weight. I had to work harder. I had to do this. I had to do that. And I started to hate what I was doing less and less by the second... until I took a job on campus. This job was a lot better but there was one problem. It was a student worker position so it only paid like 9 dollars and hour at the most. There was also one more issue. I would only be an undergrad for so long and then my time was up. And then what? I would either have to go through more schooling or find a job that just got me by to pay the bills. I dont remember much after that, but this I do remember. I remember I prayed to God for very specific needs. Mainly to find a job that would pay more but also support me. And he answered my prayers in a totally unexpected way. 

            In May of 2019 before my last year of college I got an email from a friend who I went to chruch went. I dont recall everything the email said but essentially she and her husband was offering me a job with their company. I was surprised. I didn't apply for this job but it sounded wonderful. It was working at an antique book store and they wanted me to help them list their inventory. When Scott ( my boss) was explaining the job description I was so excited! However, because of what I went through at other jobs I was really hard on myself when my co workers and boss were giving me lots of encouragement and grace. Here is an example, one time I was put a product under a category that did not fit the book. One of my co workers asked me why I put it in that category. I explained why I did it and then he explained to me why he thought a different category would be best. I thought he was mad at me for what he did. I was so hard on myself. I cried. And I think my boss could tell something was up. I wasn't acting like myself. He explained that Tim ( my coworker) liked to have things done in a certain way but that I was doing a great job for only being there a short time. Over the years Scott assured me one thing. Unless I did something intentionally to harm the business ( like burn it down, steal from them, or something very drastic like that) I was not going to get fired. It has been two and a half years almost three since I started working there. And I still enjoy it every day. Why? Because Scott treats me not just like an employee. He sees me as a person and cares for me and my family. Because Scott doesn't abuse his power but encourages me I want to work hard for him. But not to the point where I am exhausting myself. He and his wife Jill and a few others, told me a few things that changed my entire perspective on work and working for someone. I will list a few out. I am not sure who said what or if these are exactly what they said  but this is the gist of it.  

         I. " I am your earthly boss. God is your real boss. You listen to him. And whatever he tells you, do it."

        2.  "You will not get fired for struggling with your faith or where you want to go chruch. They are two separate things."

       3. " You will not get fired for making a mistake. More than likely your mistake is fixable in some way. If not we can talk and figure something out."

     4. " When God blesses the business and we are thriving we want to bless our employees. "

     5. " When you leave for the day you are done. You do not have to do any work outside of these doors unless you want to but that is up to you."

    6. And this one was said to me when my father-in-law was not doing well,  my grandma wasn't doing well, and before I went into labor. " Do not worry about us. We will be okay. Even though work is important. Family comes first. You come back to work when you are ready. You are more then welcome to work remotely during this time but know that I do not expect anything from you or out of you. Whatever you are willing to give me I am fine with that. I appreciate every hour you put in. So thankful for you and your husband. "

         You see a difference? I do. I love working for them because they care about my well being. And why do they care? Because I am being faithful to them and giving it everything I have even if some days it doesn't feel like I am doing enough. God knows my heart and he knows what he is doing in me to keep working. And to this day I have joy and peace of mind while working. I am no longer panicky ( for the most part) about something happening if I dont give it my all all the time. 

      The Bible says even God rested on the seventh day. Not because he had to but because he wanted to set a good example. Well, I am pleased to report and say that I am starting to find a great balance between God, work, family, friends, church, and self care. How do I do it without driving myself crazy ( even though sometimes it still feels like chaos). Its simple really. Find a balance that works for you. You do not have to do what society tells you. You do not have to work 80 plus hours a week to pay your bills unless its nessicary.  In my case its not. I am so blessed that Dan and I both work at the same job, make the same amount, get paid weekly on the same day, but we dont work the same hours and are doing very well finically. We are trusting in God and incorporating him in all aspects of life. We are taking time to slow down and enjoy the time on earth he has given us. We take life way to seriously. I think God was on to something by resting when he didn't have to and I have actually talked to this with Dan. By setting good examples now, we can set Savanna up for success later on in her life. If we take time to slow down, listen, laugh, talk about hard things, work hard, love God and others it show her that doing these things is okay. Just to list a few. Life does not have to be serious all the damn time. Even the bible says there is a time and moment for everything. To mourn, to laugh, to dance ect. You just need to pay attention to what moment you are in. Because of all this I am not only doing okay one month Post Partum but I am thriving and having such a great time! Its not the same for everyone yet and that is okay. Remember life is not a marathon. So take some time to enjoy it and the people in your life. I am going to end this post with a quote from Tuck Everlasting. 

"Do not fear death. Fear the unlived life. You do not have to live forever. You just have to live."

And that is what I plan to do until Jesus calls me home.