Testimony on Faith
I announced to friends and family on Facebook that I received some great news at the end of last week, but I haven’t shared what it was with everyone. It brings tears of joy to my eyes just thinking about it. In order to explain this, I have to take a brief trip down memory lane to where I was one year ago.
In October of last year, I was rushed from urgent care to the hospital with a fever of 104 degrees. It started with chest pain the night before, and progressed to flu-like symptoms by the morning. I was shivering one minute and sweating bullets the next. I thought it was the flu, but it turns out it was much worse – I had a serious case of pneumonia. I was in the hospital for four days. I had just started a new job and, despite the doctors stressing how bad a case of pneumonia this was, I put pressure on myself to recover quickly and get back to work.
I was stressed by the new job (where I was responsible for a team of 150 people), and I was stressed by the pressure I put on myself to be a perfect mom and wife at home. I never really took a break, I just kept pushing myself. Three months later (January 2012), I nearly collapsed at work. That was the last time I stepped foot in my office in that role. I shared more about this story in my first blog post, so I won’t recap the whole thing here.
My “New Year’s Intention” (what I call “resolutions”) was to work from home by October of 2012. Initially I only shared this intention with my husband, who was very supportive. I selected October because my husband’s benefits enrollment period would be open again so we could transfer our healthcare and dental benefits to him. It would also have given me one year with my new employer, which I felt was important at the time. I had NO idea how this would happen, but believed it was possible.
Since mid-January of this year when I nearly collapsed at work, I have been home. I was on medical leave for about a month, and then I officially stepped down from my leadership role and transitioned into another role (with a lower salary) that my boss allowed me to do from home. My boss was clear that this role was temporary and would expire on September 30th, 2012. I was grateful for the opportunity to stay in a full-time position and work from home while I determined what was next for me. But, what would I do next?
I prayed, and asked that God reveal my next step to me. The next day, I was inspired to reach out to a former colleague that I hadn’t spoken with in many months. In that flash of inspiration, I remembered that she was now consulting on her own. She is someone I respected greatly, and knew that I could learn a lot from. She was thrilled to hear from me, and mentioned that she was working on a grant proposal that she would love for me to be a part of.
Over the summer, we worked incredibly hard on the proposal with a team of consultants. We submitted it in early August, and were to hear back by September 30th (the day that my position was to expire). I felt great about the work that we put into it, and truly believed it would stand out among the rest. I prayed about it and, for the first time in a long time, truly let it go. Normally, I would have still interviewed for other positions, and would have been very worried about what I would do if it didn’t come through. That fear would have crippled me in the grant writing process, and I would not have produced my best work. This time, I had an overwhelming sense that I would be fine – regardless of the outcome. I took the necessary steps from a position of strength instead of weakness. I had faith.
“When you believe more in what you don’t see, then you will see what you don’t see, and you won’t see what you do see.” ~Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith
Now, I must admit that as the final week was approaching I was feeling some butterflies in my stomach. My faith was really the size of a mustard seed at that point :-). I was like, “Oh shoot, I really don’t have a backup plan.” Well, the first miracle happened on Monday, September 24th, when my boss asked if I’d be interested in staying on beyond September 30th. YES! Now, I had a cushion that I wasn’t even expecting to come through. Nothing but the grace of God! Then, on Friday, September 28th, just after 5pm, I got a call from my former colleague. WE WON!!!! Elated does not even begin to describe how I felt. I was thinking, “God is SO good…God is SO good!!!” I now have a 5-year consulting contract that pays great, will allow me to work from home with minimal travel, AND will allow me more time flexibility than I’ve ever had.
Once again, God’s plan was WAY bigger than my plan. Surrendering to His grace has been the best decision of my life. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and will continue to write with the time flexibility I have been gifted with. All it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed. That seed I planted with my intention at the beginning of the year has come to fruition – RIGHT on time!
What seeds have you planted this year? Are you standing firm in your faith that all things will work together for your good? I pray that this is a gentle reminder not to be shaken by what you seen in front of you, and to know that it will work out according to His purpose for your life.
“Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~Matthew 17:20
“There is no problem in any situation that faith will not solve…you call for faith because of Him Who walks with you in every situation.” ~A Course in Miracles
Keep shining!
~Kandace
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Kandace Jones
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BLOG: http://kandacejones.wordpress.com
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/livinginthelightblog
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About the Author: Kandace Jones
I used to live life shackled by fear, doubt, and worry. I put on a happy face while navigating my day-to-day duties, but I was emotionally drained, stressed, and unhappy. When I hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was determined to live life differently. I knew there had to be another way. Out of that determination, and guidance from Spirit, the "Living in the Light" blog was born. It documents my spiritual journey out of the darkness and into the Light. After nine months of publicly sharing my journey, and consciously releasing my attachment to the ego, I experienced a powerful spiritual awakening. I went from living in fear, doubt, worry, and stress to complete inner peace. My greatest passion has become assisting others on their own journey to inner peace.
My spiritual memoir, From Stress to Peace: An Intimate Journal on the Journey from Living in Darkness to Living in the Light, is available now on Amazon and BN.com. Click the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about the From Stress to Peace 21-Day Challenge, Living in the Light Retreats, 1:1 sessions, and the Living in the Light Community - all of which are designed to support your journey to inner peace. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the blog and look forward to supporting you in any way I can!