Week One: Trust - Leaning into Discomfort

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

By Kristi Sweeney

One Friday in April nearly six years ago, I had that dreaded conversation with my boss - I found out I lost my job. It was a big blow for me and my family. I knew I needed to find
another job but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. What I was sure of was that I was beyond burned out after working crazy ad agency hours for 15+ years on top of having two young children with no family support in even the same time zone.

Jumping right back into full-time ad agency life was just not an option. I prayed and prayed that God would lead me to find an opportunity that would reignite my passion for work and afford us more flexibility to navigate the busy school years. During this time, I felt scared, confused, and somewhat paralyzed. Feelings I’m sure many of you have experienced over the past year, whether you’ve lost a job or not.

A couple of months after losing my job, I ran into an acquaintance - now friend - at a networking event who led me to just that opportunity.

The opportunity (to start a skincare business) was so wildly different from what I had done up to that point in my career. It would push me WAY out of my comfort zone but maybe it was just what I needed after feeling stagnant for so long.

I felt that “what if” God tug as I weighed and prayed whether to take the leap. Just as it was written in Proverbs 3:5-6, I trusted God had a plan for me and decided to say yes.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

It turned out to be just what I needed when I needed it. Isn’t that the case nine times out of ten? It is so hard to make sense of those adversities in life when we are in the thick of them but trusting in God’s plan is key. It is His timing not ours, after all. Clearly, God knew we would need to be reminded of this often as the phrase “trust in the Lord” appears in the Bible 19 times. And let us not forget Adam and Eve’s first mistake - the mistake that got them kicked out of the garden - was trusting “self” and not God.

I have thanked God for that job loss many times over the past few years. He knew it was my time to grow. He knew it was my time to exit the hamster wheel that my life had become. He knew it was time to shake things up. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that obstacles do not block the path, they are the path.

During this Lenten season, as we continue to navigate these challenging times, may we more than ever trust in God’s plan for us. May this season bring new hope and healing. May we journey toward the cross prayerfully and purposefully. Even through the pain, our doubt, our questions, and our searching.