Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?
I spent years in school.
I have student loan debt.
I’ve worked so hard.
I can’t leave a career that brought me joy.
This was my dream job.
Everyone’s telling me I’d be crazy to leave.
Have you said any of these about your current career? Maybe you’ve been feeling like you’re called someplace else, but these thoughts keep creeping in.
I went into healthcare because I wanted to help people in their time of need. After becoming a nurse I knew I wanted to become a nurse practitioner before I had my babies, so I jumped into NP school.
I landed my DREAM job in a large level I trauma center about a year after becoming a nurse practitioner. I loved it there. The staff was amazing, I learned so much, and I felt like I was in the role I had always wanted.
Once I had my first baby, things started to shift. I suddenly wanted to be home instead of at work. My dream job was stealing so much time away from my family and I just couldn’t see myself doing this lifestyle for the rest of my life.
Guilt started to set in and all these thoughts jumped into my head of why I shouldn’t want to leave. I kept brushing away the thought of transitioning out of the ER because I truly didn’t want to do anything else. God was nudging me and I just kept pushing him away.
It took a big smack over the head to finally see where he wanted me. I faced a rare health scare after I had my son and that was enough to rock me to my core.
YES, I loved healthcare, but I wanted time with my family more. I was clinging to my role in the ER because I loved it, enjoyed the position I was in, and was always a challenge and adrenaline rush. I was hanging onto it for ME, but God was guiding me someplace else.
After finally listening to his tug into my heart I jumped into online health coaching. To my surprise, it was everything I was looking for. I could impact health from HOME. I could prevent and reverse diseases with food and exercise instead of just prescribing pills to people, and most of all after a lot of hard work I was able to fully do my work from home around my family’s schedule.
You see, if I would have hung onto something that sooo good, I would have missed this GREAT thing that God gave me. He knew what my heart needed in this phase of motherhood and he wanted to use all my years in healthcare to impact people in a new way.
My time was not wasted or wrong, it was a stepping stone to being where I am today.
Are you missing out on the plans God has for your life because you are clinging to the plans you made for yours? Are you feeling guilty because you are moving away from something good or something that society tells you is AMAZING?
Matthew 10:39 says: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
I had to lose my idea of life in order to see God's plan for my life. I had felt the pull to do this coaching for MONTHS prior to my healthcare, but I kept brushing it off.
It took letting go of what I thought my life would look like and simply saying YES to God for everything to feel more aligned.
I want to challenge you to do the same. Whatever area of your life isn’t feeling aligned right now, pray about it. If you have been waiting for a sign-Jesus wrote down words and has them for you in the Bible. Go to it for your truth and direction, you will find Jesus speaking to you in more ways than you can imagine!
Then-take action. Let go of whatever it is that is holding you down and trust that HIS plans are always bigger than ours!!
PS-here's a crazy full-circle moment. When the pandemic hit I felt this strong urge to go back and help in healthcare. At that time, we had moved to Ohio and were far away from my ER family in South Carolina. I kept praying and even sought out several positions in Ohio which all did not align. I kept telling my husband that I wish I could go back and help my ER in South Carolina, but it didn't seem feasible. A few months later I had a random text that my old hospital was in need of temporary help. They were willing take any amount of time I could give and I was not committed to any set time. I knew instantly that this is why I had experienced that tug in my heart and we went! So even just for a short season, I get to be back doing something I used to love in one of my favorite roles in healthcare. So don't be surprised if God puts some random thoughts on your heart for a reason. He brought us here for a reason and we are learning that the more we say YES and the less we push back, the more beautiful our life becomes.
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