First Piece of the Puzzle

A few posts ago I mentioned that I needed to put down the 'first piece of the puzzle' of my life before the other pieces can fit around it. In the back of my mind, I thought the puzzle piece was my job. How can I figure out where I live or what I do outside of work if I have no idea where I am going to work? But then two weeks ago, I received this awesome revelation from God one weekend. First, I went to a Friday night service and heard a very powerful testimony, where 20-some people accepted Christ at the end of the service. It reminded me of the urgency in sharing the gospel with others and how many people don't yet know the love of God. Then the next day at brunch, a girlfriend of mine gave me advice (from a secular point of view) but that I believe the Lord used to tell me something. She said, 'Tree, you're a smart girl. You can find a job anywhere. You should live where you're going to happy." Wow. That's awesome. Where would I be happy, I asked myself. I'd be happy serving God where He wants me to serve. It was then that I started thinking, perhaps I was scared of limiting myself to one geographic area because I didn't know if I was going to find a job, but hiding behind the excuse that I am trying to be as open and as flexible as possible so God can tell me where to go. Perhaps God has already told me where to go, and I've just been too scared to accept it. The next day, the pastor taught on 'seeking FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness'. He used the example of how we say things like, 'God, please give me a great job and a great salary, then I will serve you with all my heart.' It says to SEEK FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (things that we need) shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Ding Ding Ding! The first piece of the puzzle is not my job. It's where He wants me to serve. And I believe it's where I currently am.

So, I am staying in the New Jersey area.

Shortly after the revelation, I began to make the transition towards getting my mindset on living, commuting, going to church in NJ. I am trying to be in tuned to opportunities that the Lord is placing in my path and the doors that He's opening for me. I know He has an awesome plan for me this year, and I am glad that He gave me my first piece of the puzzle. I don't ever want my job to be a form of bondage, and I don't ever want to be defined by or valued based on my job title or what I do at work. A job is no different from worldly knowledge, money, possessions, our physical bodies in that they are all temporary and insignificant when compared to the eternal things like knowing Christ.

In fact, I was emailing Elena (the friend that I went on the cross-country roadtrip with) about how I am almost afraid to start work full-time, that once I start I might fall back into the routine of work-play-sleep and lose focus on what's important in life. She said she felt the same way, and that she's looking for a part time position to pay the bills but will allow her to continue to pray from midnight to 6am every day (part of a prayer room at a school that she's been at for 6 months). That is so awesome and encouraging. She is such a prayer warrior and has an urgent and strong passion to seek after the heart of God. I am so thankful that I have brothers and sisters in the Lord who are great examples and sources of encouragement for me in my own spiritual walk!