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TheWhiteShadow

A Request for Wisdom

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Hello, all -

Last year I went through a long process, full of plenty of prayer and seeking God's will in changing jobs. There was confirmation all along the way, and I was quite confident that I was making the right decision. I've since left my old job on good terms - with my boss's last words being "If you want to come back, I'm sure we can make it happen." And now I've been learning the new job.

Thing is, this job isn't exactly what was advertised. I have problems with doubt, that perhaps I've made a mistake. I've even had a dream come to mind that I didn't exactly understand at the time...but, now I see that it was about this job. The basic meaning of the dream was that what I had been getting wasn't what I thought it was. I didn't recognize the warning at the time, and now here I am.

There's struggles with learning something new, which I understand. And I'm consistently improving, little by little. This job, though, is incredibly taxing on my body...and I'm a pretty fit fella. It's incredibly fast-paced, and half of the time is spent in refridgerator or freezer conditions, which really wears me down! Heh, I'm starting to whine and ramble a bit, here...

So, I had been thinking about the prospect of going back to where I was before. Yes, I was unhappy...but, I'm actually seeing it differently, now. I really didn't appreciate what I had. My first question is: Would God have allowed me to leave with the purpose of showing me a heart-matter in me of my lack of appreciation?

With that, let me throw this dream out there from the weekend: In the dream, I received a call from my niece, asking for help. End of dream. In real life, there's nothing going on with her, and I didn't even feel that the dream was about her. I went on with my day, and on the way to work I said to God, "If I'm to go back to my old job, my cousin (who was my boss) would have to make the first move and contact me." Immediately, the interpretation of that dream came to me: It was about my cousin contacting me. I just knew that he would. And, lo-and-behold, he sent me a text this morning right as my alarm clock was going off. One of the last things he said was that he might have a Lead position to fill, which was what I was when I left.

One more detail: I just can't get into a daily routine with the new job, and that's really affected my relationship with God. I feel less close than I was before, and I definitely haven't been able to put forth the time and effort into our one-on-one times that I could before. This probably bothers me more than anything else.

Sorry that this is long, but what's happened is exactly what I asked of God...and now, I need wisdom to know what to do if I'm given an opportunity. Please, pray for me in this regard!

Thanks, all.
-Mark

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Mark,

I know how difficult it is like you said to start a new job and I think it is normal to wonder if you made the right decission. A confirmation on taking the old job back is awesome and I would certainly be praying about that. But wow I can see why you are thinking about it. I am happy for you if you decide to take it but make sure you consider all the factors of going back. I would hate to see you unhappy and in the wrong place. On a positive note though it may be a good time to negotiate on the new leadership position some....maybe making it better than it was or possible resolving some of the old problems that made you unhappy. This may help to make a decission. I know that you will make the right one though because you will do the bidding of the Lord. I thought it was important that you noted that in your new job your in now you don't feel you have the time with the Lord the way you would like. Also something to consider.

I will gladly pray with you for the Lords will in this. God bless.

Love in Jesus,

Connie

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"One more detail: I just can't get into a daily routine with the new job, and that's really affected my relationship with God. I feel less close than I was before, and I definitely haven't been able to put forth the time and effort into our one-on-one times that I could before. This probably bothers me more than anything else"

I can really relate to this! Since my husband's injury, I have almost no daily routine and it is hard to spend time with God like I would like. I pray you'll make the right decision here, I know if you seek God, you will!

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Mark,
I am definitely praying for you to receive wisdom and guidance as to what to do in this situation as well as for God's Grace and the perfect job position for you since neither of these two jobs are making you happy. I decree that there IS the prefect job for you and that God has opened the doors and made all the divine connections for you to receive! I pray that by His Grace your time is multiplied and you are blessed with plenty of time to spend with your Lord daily! Amen!

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Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. I need and appreciate them. I asked God for peace yesterday, since I've just been incredibly anxious about the new job ever since I arrived, yet unable to commit to going back to the old one. For the first time, I thought about returning to the old job and had the peace that I asked for. On the flip side, yesterday was an "easy" day at the new job, and yet my body is so incredibly sore today that I'm half-dreading going in tonight...where 10 hours in -10 degrees awaits me. :)

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Mark,
I wanted to share this quick testimony with you. My husband used to come home after work and tell me about how their management is making working there almost impossible. The are placing almost impossible demands on people who already are working 10-11 hours a day (and only get paid for 8 of them by the way). The tension was practically unbearable. I started asking God for peace for my husband at his working place (as well as for all his co-workers), I asked God for the unmerited favour for my husband from God and from people, from his bosses at work. Before long my husband's report at the end of his working days has changed dramatically from horror stories to "it was quiet today". Praise God! He comes home with no tension or stress. halleluiah! What more, all the upper management people who were extremely cruel with the staff ARE LEAVING one by one. God is so amazing! When they came it looked like there was NO WAY on earth they would leave and yet, they are now. The last one out of 3 is leaving shortly. And my husband is getting compliments after compliments from his bosses about his work. He is receiving favour! Amen!

So in your situation, you can just ask God for unmerited favour for yourself at your working place and be moved to another position wherever you will be happy. No matter how impossible it might seem at this point, God is so awesome, He can change everything and before you know it w=you will be far away from stress and hardships just soaking in God's unmerited favour!
In Jesus' Name I am asking the Lord for amazing, unmerited favour for Mark from God and men (his bosses at work - old and new - as well as co-workers) for miraculous promotions and raises. I am asking God for physical strength as Mark goes to work tonight to not only easily handle t=his working environment but enough left over to not be tired or weary after work and accomplish everything he has planned for his day according to God's Grace and Riches in Glory in Christ Jesus! Amen!

Keep standing on this, Mark. I know it works! God bless!

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Thank you, Astra, for sharing what you have. I am guilty of not having prayed for my leaders with consistency when I was at my former job. Should I go back, this is something I will commit to doing, as I know that good things come out of being obedient in this area. And I also know, like you shared, that God can and will move out those people who stand as obstacles to His kingdom...so, what should I fear?

I spent a great deal of time this morning praying about my situation. I must have been plenty tired, because I (embarrassingly!) fell asleep...but, I woke up with the words "Joshua 5" on my mind. Now, I didn't know what it was going to speak about before I looked it up...and I'm believing that it's verse 9 that was meant for me:

"Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”

A huge hangup for me with going back to where I was would be the shame of returning to a situation that I was excited to be leaving. God knows this. Reading this verse, though, makes me feel that I should not have to worry about that. Just one more confirmation that it'll be ok if I return...

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TheWhiteShadow wrote:
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. I need and appreciate them. I asked God for peace yesterday, since I've just been incredibly anxious about the new job ever since I arrived, yet unable to commit to going back to the old one.


This was going to be my response to you...FOLLOW PEACE!! One of the things I've conditioned myself to do now (in most cases) is to sit quietly and find where the peace is. One of my favorite scriptures is found in Colossians 3:15...in the Amplified Version:

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

In this dispensation of Grace, God isn't always leading in a voice, but He's leading us through peace. Once you get still, focus in where the peace is. You will find your answer.

Make this a practice in your life...you won't go wrong. Even if you can't figure it out, God is still faithful to confirm.

Praying for you!!

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Amen Cholette! I love this about letting peace guide us in our decisions.
I will be praying for you Mark, but in the meantime let me share part of my husbands testimony with you. Hopefully something will speak to you about this.

He worked a pretty awful schedule (what at the time I considered awful). He was making GREAT pay, with wonderful benefits. He left this job to find a 9-5 job with the sky being the limit on his pay (sales/commission), with a decent base pay, and only ok benefits. We were hopeful, and committed to making this 'normal' houred job work. This never really panned out for us, and his road was long with MANY job changes along the way (with similar 'normal' hours, ok befefits, some without benefits), along with so much instability in our finances. Through this process the Lord was teaching my husband about his identity in Him. Even though he worked his tail off, he just couldn't make a square peg fit into a round hole. His last job before returning to his ORIGINAL workplace, he ended up pretty much getting fired! This has never happened in his whole life! This last blow pretty much stripped all self worth from him, b/c his old boss had fun tearing him down on a daily basis (sick I know, its even sicker if you knew what a nice guy my husband is). Then my hubby literally worked around the clock to make ends meet doing whatever he could to make ends meet...but you know what...the Lord was doing something in him. Through this process he tried to get back into his ORIGINAL old job, where he used to be in upper level management. We realized these hours weren't that bad compared to sun up to sundown 6/7 days a week, plus really good benefits. He ended up having to come in at GROUND level and worse yet part time, to get back in the door at his old company. His heart was so humble at this point. We realized along the way how good we had it before. His basic struggle was accepting his gifting of a manager. He didn't want to 'just' be a manager the rest of his life. He wanted to be a high roller in sales, someone important (striking it rich). He was struggling to become something he wasn't, and it was SO frustrating and exhausting to watch. Once he embraced who God made him to be, and realized its ok to just be himself, that's when God really lifted him up. This acceptance of his God given talents, brings the flow of the anointing, making his position now seem so effortless. God has since promoted him to a higher level than he was before he left the company, in I think less than 13 months starting from the ground! This is basically a 5 or 6 tier promotion, he is two levels from having his own store!! Some people have struggled for years and years to make it to his current level. This is unheard of in his company to climb so quickly, and is only by the favor of the Lord. The hours will fluctuate, and will never be perfect in retail. But the stability that comes from this job compared to the others is well worth the trade off. What used to feel like an unchallenging/easy job to him, after wrestling with the Lord for 5 years, he now realizes was actually him flowing in the effortless anointing of walking in his God given giftings.

I hope something from this can speak to you. I pray God will continue to lead you in His peace that surpasses all understanding!! praying

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First off, thank you Cholette for what you've shared with me. You know, I've given that same advice to others so many times...to be led by peace...and yet, I'm so guilty of not following my own advice. This actually happens in many areas - Why do I have wisdom to give to others, and then difficulty in following it for myself? :)

Thank you for praying for me. I have peace about the old job when I just step back and consider it as a whole. When I start to look for negative things about it, of course I'm going to find them. And then, they begin to chip away at peace. Truthfully, they're just issues that I know I'll have to face as a result of the choice I made to leave - like a bit of ridicule from others and the loss of the nearly six years that I invested into it...which includes benefits like vacation, etc. This actually leads right into my next thoughts:

Thank you, Daisy, for what the experiences that you shared. Oddly enough, I once left a job that I was really good at (for someone my age, at the time), to find one with a "normal" schedule. I found it as well, 8-5, Monday through Friday...and I absolutely hated it. I did it well, don't get me wrong. God gave me the ability to do good work while I was there...but I was miserable. I eventually left that job for my recently-old job, where the hours weren't great (3rd shift), but it was sorta Monday-Friday (Sunday-Thursday/Friday), but it was something that I really enjoyed for the first few years. Well, I left this place because I thought that the grass was greener across the street. Now I see how good I had it. But, your story (along with Astra's) gives me hope that God can do something wonderful to redeem my mistake. I've only been gone about 2 months, but my heart is very much changed - I've been humbled by this. My hope is that I'm spared much of the shame that I expect to have to go through upon returning.

Thanks, everyone.
-Mark

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I just wanted to add one more thing that came about as a side-effect, if you will, from what's going on with everything up above:

I had shared the simple dream that I had about my niece, and what I felt it meant, in a conversation with my mother. She was quite surprised when I told her that my cousin DID call me, just as I felt that he would. I know that she believed me, because she had me repeat the whole thing to my younger brother today, especially the dream portion. He ALSO seemed receptive - in fact, he told me that he's had experiences where he KNEW that he had dreamed it before it happened. From that, I shared one of my earliest experiences of the same thing. I didn't feel that I should push anything overly spiritual during these conversations...more like they were for planting seeds.

I have specifically asked God to use dreams as a way to reach my family, and I want to believe that this is a sliver of what is to come. So, if anyone would be so kind as to pray for me (and my family) in this regard, that would be very awesome. :)

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