4/18/2012

18 months ago I stepped away from a part-time job that I'd held for 6 years - as our church secretary.

Next week I return to that position.

I'm excited about the change. And nervous.

Not nervous because of the work - I am an organizer by nature so the work comes easy to me and is enjoyable.

Not nervous about the coworkers - I have a good relationship with our pastors.

Somewhat nervous because we've moved to a different building so there are changes related to location (like a security system to figure out).

But mostly nervous because I feel like a different person than I was before. The last 18 months have felt like a lifetime to me. I have lived a lot in those months. I have grown up a lot. God has done a lot of molding and chipping away at me. In so many ways I am not the same person I used to be.

To walk back into a job that once came so easy and was such a good fit now makes me nervous. Will it still come easy? Will it still be a good fit? Are my pastors expecting it to be just like it was before? Expecting me to be just like I was before? Because I'm not the same.

Hopefully I'm better. Hopefully I'm more Christlike. Hopefully I'm more grace-filled. Hopefully I'm leaning more on the strength of God than on what I can muster up. Hopefully the beautiful fruit of the Spirit is more evident in my life, because of what I've lived through in the last 18 months. More love. More joy. More peace. More patience. More kindness. More goodness. More gentleness. More faithfulness. More self-control.

At least that's what I pray for, as I enter a new-yet-not-new season. A season that will feel familiar and yet different.

If you think of me this week and would like to pray for me, I welcome it!
*Pray for clarity of mind as I learn new things and adjust to the work again
*Pray for my family, as we all adjust to this change in our schedules
*Pray that in this work situation (and in all of life), God would be growing His fruit in my life and His love would flow through me
*Pray that He would be glorified through all things