Backside of the Desert

This past month has been one roller coaster after another.  I have been swinging from feeling good and happy to feeling miserable, alone and confused.  One day I am happy and feeling planted, the next day I am ready to bolt.  All of this emotional ping-pong is really starting to take a toll.  I am naturally a lower energy individual (don’t even ask me how I played year round competitive soccer for all those years) and now I am a no energy individual.  Something just has to give and I am pretty sure it is me.

The highlight of May was going to visit my South Carolina family – my Tennessee family made the trip east so I actually got to see everyone and it was great.  I only wish I could have stayed longer.  My current employer doesn’t really believe in vacation and the vacation package is pitiful compared to other companies I interviewed with, but those other companies did not hire me so there’s that.  Anywho, I got to see my mom and brother and my great aunt and uncle and a host of other people I don’t get to see often and hopefully will be seeing much more often since I am back on the east coast. 

Upon my return from my super-mini-vacay I was given the opportunity to interview for a different position in my company.  Might I also add that it was my birthday.  Had it not been my birthday, I might not have been into the whole ordeal, but I figured since this opportunity came out of nowhere on my birthday – I should go for it.  It reminded me of that day long ago at Germantown Baptist Church where my family went up front to join the church and my mom yanked my arm and said “Don’t you dare say you don’t won’t Jesus.”  Now don’t get me wrong – I was not against Jesus at that time, but I also had not officially made the decision to follow Him either.  That decision would come a couple years later, after falling in the baptismal pool and dunking myself and the choir for good measure as well as some other events not being mentioned at this time.  It also reminded me of that lovely day in Nashville when I had the opportunity to coordinate record release parties and artists showcases for some of my now favorite Christian bands and I, having other plans, said no.   I also thought about the fact that I have actually had quite a few doors open for me in Jacksonville, but I have been unwilling to walk through them because they did not match what I am looking for – that and they all dealt with numbers, which brings me back to my birthday.  I said yes for once and by the end of the workday I was in a 30-day trial with the Marketing department in a job that revolves around numbers, which brings me back to the ping-pong emotional roller coaster I have been on lately. 

The main reason I have always shied away from numbers is because they are simply not my strong suit.  I am thoroughly capable, but not naturally gifted if you get my drift.  And so each day has brought on new challenges as I learn my potentially new position.  Some days I leave work feeling like I am getting the hang of everything and other days I leave feeling like there is no way I am going to make it through the 30 day trial.  I should pause here and say that being “Upstairs” in this company is a million times better than being “downstairs”.  The whole vibe is different.  People are nicer, there is more freedom and frankly it runs more like a corporate office, which is the environment I am familiar with.  I feel much more comfortable in my new department and generally like all of my co-workers, which is a big plus as well.  I have just had to trust God to sustain me.   Every morning I tell Him that I am not in my comfort zone and that I need His help to wrap my head around some of these concepts at work.  I ask Him to fill in the blanks and help me to be accurate and He has done just that and more. 

It hit me the other day that God might be trying to teach me to really rely on Him for situations that are outside my comfort zone and not in my realm of expertise.  Just because something does not come natural – does not mean that you cannot ace it.  I don’t know what is in store for me down the line, but I am learning to trust God with whatever He brings my way.  I am also stepping up at my Celebrate Recovery home group by leading the women’s small group and possibly stepping onto the leadership team.  I say possibly because there has been a lot of talk and a whole lot of hesitation, which is fine by me because I have learned the hard way that “when it fits you don’t have to force it.”   (Amazing line from the novel “What Doesn’t Kill You” by Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant) So if this leadership team isn’t in God’s plans – that’s fine – I don’t need the drama and I am just as happy leading the ladies small group. 

I am also strangely starting to feel settled here.  I cannot explain it, but I was sitting on the front porch last weekend sipping some sparkling grape juice (one of my guilty pleasures) and I just thought “I’m home”.   I have no idea where that thought came from.  It certainly does not make since.  I don’t have friends, my professional life is anything but anchored and I have yet to find a church, but for some reason I feel more content than I ever did in LA where I had it all.  I guess time will tell.  I am smart enough to know that all it takes is one second to change everything.  I don’t know what is in store for me, but the one thing I do know is that I am where I am supposed to be.  God led me here to prepare me for something He plans on bestowing upon me so I guess I will have to stick around to find out what.

I am also back on the church hunt.  I have about 7 churches left on my list that I need to visit.  While I do need to find a church that I like, God nudged me last week and said “Instead of looking for the perfect church for you, why don’t you find a church that you agree with it’s pastor and his vision and help it grow.  Leaders don’t belong, they create the belonging.”  And that, my friends, has changed my view on all the churches I have visited.  While I am still hoping to find a church with a pastor I like and worship that moves me, if it comes down to it – I will go with the one whose vision I want to help make a reality.  As of right now there is only one church on my Round 2 list and three on a wildcard list so here’s hoping the last 7 leave no question in my mind as to what church needs to become my next church home. 

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