Starting Over

If you had to start life over after 30 or 40 years in the workforce, could you? Suppose life dictated that your ability to do the job you love is no longer there, the family that was the center of your world is no longer there, or the happily-ever-after no longer seems tangible? Could you step out on blind faith and leave behind the life, profession, and comfort that you have always known? Could and would you trust that God would guide your footsteps?

We often say that we trust that God will provide and protect us, but do we approach a new life and change with that confidence? As much as we believe, we sometimes give in to the one thing that will hold us back: fear.  Do you think it is just too hard? Do you feel at this stage in life you have nothing to offer? Are you succumbing to the adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Are you taking a secret survey and doing a comparison to others? Sisters, stop!

Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Our power comes from the gifts that God has given us to enhance not only our lives but the lives of others. We are to take joy and give love to those who allow us to share our gifts with them. The greatest resource is the spirit of discernment in knowing when, where, and with whom we are to share our gifts. 

I have friends that worked jobs in and out of their fields who are now finding that because of different circumstances they are starting over. Some are very enthusiastic about the prospect of a new beginning, and others are fearful that they can’t and won’t make it if they have to give up a certain income or a particular lifestyle. Some are just afraid to fail. Starting over is not a curse or punishment, but it is a great time to witness growth from within ourselves. It is an opportunity to evaluate what is truly important and adds value to your life. You might pleasantly surprise yourself!

I have had several new starts in my life, but the one that I remember the most is leaving the corporate world to enter into the field of education. I was young and idealistic because I believed that the entire purpose of going to college was to get an education so that you could find monetary and material success in life. The goal was to do better than your parents had in their lives. This is not what I was taught as a child, but this was my way of thinking as a young, worldly adult. My great plans for life were interrupted by the Lord pulling on me and telling me that the corporate world was not going to make me happy, and it didn’t. I started to question and wonder if there was something more. In time I found that what was important to me was not money or material things. What I had to have was purpose and joy in my job. I never weighed in on any giftedness that the Lord had given me. So in my blindness, HE placed people in my life to show my gifts to me. I am very grateful to have listened. I quit my job as a business analyst and returned to school to get my education courses and certification. Finishing in December did not put me in a good season for a teaching position so I worked in a pawnshop.

My starting over was just beginning. When I tell you that starting over gives you a great insight into yourself and how you choose to grow is an understatement. I can tell you about the many people that I met while working in the pawnshop. Not everyone is down on their luck or uneducated. I have seen the most upstanding, educated citizen with a gambling addiction, a mother who would drink her paycheck away on Friday night and pawn her child’s television on Saturday to buy groceries, and a battered woman who had no self-esteem or self-worth.  My takeaway was to never lump people into one specific category and never consider myself superior to anyone. My revelation was that I was blessed. Pawnshop stories helped to shape the educator that I wanted to be in the classroom. I wanted to convey life lessons along with English and teach young people paths not to take. All of a sudden my focus was not on money and material things; my focus was on people. See, starting over is not a bad thing. Instead of giving in to the fear that cripples you and may cause you to miss the blessing that God has for you, seize the opportunity for a do-over. HE may be calling you for a different journey. Trust that your gifts have been given to you to benefit someone. While you are starting over, never fear that you are doing it alone for Isaiah 41:10 says, 

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Starting over sometimes means that you walk away from money, a lifestyle, certain friends, some relationships,  material things, a way of thinking, timidity, or a spirit of fear. Don’t let fear keep you from using your gifts and stifling your growth. We are never promised that it is easy, but there is no greater assurance than knowing that the path before you is not one that you will walk alone; it may be the journey needed to reveal your strength. Starting over? Yes, you can!