For anyone that doesn’t know, I recently left my job, got married, left home and started a new job all within the space of 8 days.
In no way was that what was outlined in the Grand Plan which we had spent over 2 years concocting. I never planned to give myself quite so much to process and adjust to all at once.
I’d love to turn round and say that it all worked out to be easy, but that would be a far from the truth. For a few weeks, our focus was on each day and trying to keep track of everything that was coming our way. However, having heard the Ecclesiastes passage “a Time for Everything” again at Church on Sunday, and being reminded that as long as what I’m doing is in God’s plan, then it will all work out. I still am reminding myself of that, two months on, where I remember that everything is still settling and the reality is that nothing can drop into place overnight.
When I interviewed for my new job, it was the first interview any application had granted me, and I was full of illness (Microsoft Teams is a wonderful thing), so what on earth I said in response to the questions, I don’t recall, but I knew I wasn’t unsupported, so the second I got the phone call offering me the job, I was in no doubt that this was where God was sending me. This was only affirmed when I heard that someone had applied for the role in January, been ready to start and then this fell through.
The last 6 or so weeks have been full of many things to adjust to, but there has been a strong source of uplift in the form of the friends at Sam’s home Church. Because of all his commitments, we’ve found ourselves attending there for the time being, which has shown to all be in God’s plan. It’s been one of the few constants and has meant that we’re both provided with the time to “check in” with people who know us well and that’s turned out to be invaluable.
My point here is not that one person or group of people has provided us with better support than another, everyone has been equally appreciated. Instead, I hope that this can serve a reminder that God doesn’t give us any challenge that we cannot face – and within his plans, he ensures that we have the people around us, near and far so that, in this case, we can navigate the changes that have come our way.
We never know who will walk through the doors of any Church we’re part of on a Sunday morning, but we do know that we can pay attention to how we welcome others and ensure that we are sharing with them the love and support as if they were our lifelong friends. I used to enjoy visiting different Churches in Bath as a student, because of all the people I got to meet, and the new opportunities to feel the welcome of a different group of people.
A prayer
Lord, Thank you that your timing is perfect. Help me to keep my trust in you when I can’t yet see your plans in my situation. Help us to be mindful of the different experiences that those around us are going through, and greet them with the kind of welcome that we’d give to you. Amen.