Making a Hard Choice

There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. - 1 Cor. 12:6 NIV

In just over three weeks, I will do something I have not done in over 18 years(!): change jobs. I will be leaving my staff accountant position at DCG ONE to become Senior Payroll Administrator for an aerospace company in Renton. The range of emotions flooding through me right now is overwhelming. On the one hand, I am excited by the opportunity to start with a clean slate and be working much closer to home. At the same time, I am nervous about starting over in a new place, having to learn a new routine, and fitting in. Being accountable to and working for the people of the company, as I do in payroll, drives me. Inevitably, though, I will be pushed out of my comfort zone. While that is the only way to go, the prospect is nonetheless intimidating. And of course, I will miss the people I have worked with for so long, which makes me sad.

Although difficult, taking this job was the right decision, I am confident, and God meant for this to happen, considering how it came about. Four years ago, I was unhappy at my current job, and actively searched for new opportunities, working with several recruiters. One of the recruiters now works in the human resources department at the company I will be joining and reached out to me two weeks ago with this opening in their payroll department. Although my circumstances had changed and I was no longer actively looking, I was intrigued enough to interview, which went well. God used a connection He established to convince me now was the time for change and pointed me to an opportunity too good to pass up.

Perhaps one reason a call can be hard to accept is because God’s timing seldom seems to align with ours. He often finds us in a place of comfort and asks us to leave much of what we have grown fond of or accustomed to behind. He may ask us to walk a number of paths that do not seem connected in any way. This was true for each of Jesus’s disciples. All of them had to abandon their everyday jobs, the routine of life they knew, everything they thought they believed, and on a whim follow Jesus wherever he went for the promise of new and abundant life. It could not have been easy, but almost all of them chose to accept the change, and were rewarded in the Spirit, being used to teach and inspire countless others. Judas unfortunately chose to accept a counteroffer, which led to betrayal and death.

God has a plan for every one of us. He is often working behind the scenes, making seemingly random pieces of our lives fit together in ways we do not expect. It is hard to trust what we do not understand, but sometimes key opportunities can hide behind the safety of our current surroundings. The easy choice, staying put, may be the more comfortable one, but it can lead to unrealized potential and unfulfilled promises. As Paul states,

Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? -Romans 8:24 NIV

For me, the decision to accept the new job was not about money, but about the best interests of my family and taking a step forward in faith. I still have mixed feelings but am looking forward to starting this new chapter and taking on the challenges ahead.