4 Possibilities

I began 2012 with the possibility of four – count ‘em – four part-time jobs. All the jobs seemed to be valuable places where I could serve God. But two of them were more people-oriented than the others. Those were the ones I was sure God would call me to do.

I began to pray and asked others to pray for me, so that I could make the best choices. One choice was inevitable – the part-time job that brings in the most income – the one that we need right now to survive. I do enjoy this job as it also includes one of my passions – helping women to become all that God created them to be. This job takes up approximately 35 hours/week, so that was the major source of income and the major time-consumer.

But what of the other three?

One of the three was freelance writing and editing – continuing to work with the creative side of my brain to inscribe the words God whispers to me. This was the job that I really wanted to do, wanted to succeed at and wanted to continue. But I was also willing to give it up if I could serve God more fully in the other part-time jobs. In fact, I pretty much convinced myself that God didn’t want me to write anymore because I did want it.

That old pattern of legalism and suffering for the Lord is hard to break. Why would a loving God not allow me to do the thing I am gifted for – the work that I love to do? Because to serve God we must suffer and not enjoy life. Old patterns die hard.

So I continued to pray, dreading the fact that I might have to quit writing buhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift wanting to serve God. Then simultaneously, those other two part-time jobs just disappeared - sucked into God’s black hole Suddenly, all that was left were the two jobs that include my passions – writing and helping women.

Then God sent a confirmation. A publisher was suddenly, inexplicably interested in my novel. This is the first book of a series that came as a direct divine inspiration. I’ll write more about that journey in a later blog. To learn more, check out my Facebook author page at facebook.com/rjthesman.

What a joy it is to work at the things I enjoy – the desires of my heart that God has gifted me for! Each day, I look forward to meeting women and working with them. Then I go home and write and find new words to describe this incredible God who calls us to do what we deeply love and thereby provides hope.