I've heard it said that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I have to admit that it took me a long time to really understand what that saying actually means. Not to understand the meaning on the surface, but the deep-down-in-the-soul meaning. Honestly, as I reflect back, the saying really is true.
But is there more to this than just loving what you do?
I didn't realize it until recently, but I think that loving what you do is based on a lot more than just being content with your choices in life. What do I mean by that? Well, is it possible that the happiness we feel in regards to loving what we do have more to do with matters of the soul than matters of the heart?
The Bible says that God knows us and the desires of our hearts...so maybe it's as simple as Him putting us in the right places and circumstances that will make us the most happy??
Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."
Work Never Really Felt Like Work
I have been working almost my whole life. At 13, I worked in my neighbor’s shop on the weekends. I made a little extra money and actually looked forward to every Saturday. It didn’t feel like I was working...it was fun.
When I was in high school I had various jobs after school and on the weekends, all of which I worked with at least one of my friends. I never minded going to work; I was making some money and hanging out with friends, so it never felt like work.
As I got older and was deciding what I wanted to do with my life, all I knew was that I wanted to do something where I could help others. I ended up choosing nursing as my career, just like my mother.
Unlike other nurses, I didn’t feel a “calling” towards nursing, I just honestly liked the medical field and truly wanted to make a difference in the world. When I was taking care of patients I never felt like I was working. I really loved what I had chosen to do with my life.
As I moved into nursing management, the same thing happened...I actually enjoyed every working day and looked forward to how I could make a difference in the lives of the nurses and patients, but on a different level.
I continued on that path for many years until one day in August of 2015, I felt compelled to really look at my life. The work I was doing was starting to feel like work. But that wasn't the main thing for me. I felt as if I had to do something else.
As I prayed about my situation, I kept feeling as if I was needed at home...I had always worked and never even thought about staying home. At that point in my life, I had more faith than I did when I was younger and I was seeking God's plan and not my own. This fact really made a big difference in how I looked at everything.
I knew that it would be a financial sacrifice if I left my job, but I had to remind myself that God was checking my faith and not my finances. So....I resigned from my job and haven't looked back.
Work as if for the Lord
As I reflect on my life, I believe that each and every step in my life was ordained by God; I didn't know it then, but I do know it now. During each of those times in my life, I was open to whatever was in store for me, I just didn't know at the time that it was God who was leading me.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
I realize now that God will put us in the place that He wants us to be, when we ask for His best for us. This is especially true when we submit to His will for our lives.
After much prayer and asking God to place me directly in His will for me, I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mom to my two boys and a wife to my husband. This is important to note because I was that woman who wanted to be a career mom.
I loved having a career. I never saw myself staying home. But now I realize that before I left nursing management, I was physically and mentally too exhausted to give my family my full attention... and God knew that. He knew where I was needed most.
God Knows What's Best
As I sit here writing this post, I am brought to tears because I LOVE what I am doing. I am taking care of my family, keeping my house free from chaos, writing what's in my heart (placed there by God), and crafting, decorating and doing all the things that I have a passion for. For the first time in a long time I am able to attend a weekly Bible study with some amazing women of God.
I am so thankful for the experiences that God placed in my life that have led me to this place. Although I didn't really know all those years ago that God was directing me, I am thankful that He was. He placed me in situations that resulted in me loving what I was doing and that made a huge difference.
Remember, God knows what's best for us and what our desires are. He knows what will truly make us happy - especially when it comes to working.
He places interests within our hearts to lead us to the career that best suits us...and I believe that this leads to loving what we do! I understand now why I chose nursing as a career. I never wanted to be a nurse, but God knew that it was what would make me happy.
As I look back on my life, I really did love what I was doing at the time I was doing it. Sure, there were times when I did not want to get ready to go to work, like anyone else, but once I was there I forgot about that and threw myself into whatever it was that I was doing… because I loved it. Thankfully, God knew I would love it, too!
If you are not happy with what you are doing, I suggest that you let it go and let God direct your path. Ask Him for guidance and the Holy Spirit will lead you. He will not let you down in this very important aspect of life.
Blessings,
Amy
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