This year marks the 9 year anniversary of my journey into full-time blogging as well as the anniversary of the end of my 5 year run in corporate america.
I spent 5 years working at a Fortune 500 brokerage firm. I worked in three different departments and held 5 different titles over those 5 years.
When I began working there I walked in full of ambition and expectation that a few years down the road I would be sitting pretty in my corner office.
What I walked out with was a hope and trust in God that He would get me further than my ambition did.
Lately, I have been reminiscing about my old job(s) and thankful that phase is over. I didn’t fully realize how much I didn’t like it, until I started doing something that I really did enjoy. At the time, I knew that I wasn’t walking in my life’s calling, but that it was more of a preparation phase.
As is typical, I guess, I thought the preparation phase should have only taken a year or two, but apparently God’s timeline was a little longer – 5 years! 😉
But also, I can now see that God was at work teaching, training, and guiding me through that challenging phase in my life. Trials and challenges are an inevitable part of life and whether we like it or not, they benefit us if we allow them to.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3
For much of that 5 year phase I didn’t like my job and there were points where I felt like I hated my job. As much as I wanted to pull a Jerry Maguire and just storm out of the office, I knew that probably wasn’t the smartest approach. I think He was testing me to see if I would remain faithful even when things weren’t very fun.
Table of contents
How I survived my “hate my job” phase
There were a few important lessons that I learned that I can now see were critical to my sanity!
1 – I was thankful for what I had
I would thank God for my job on a daily basis. It wasn’t my dream-job by any means, but I was extremely grateful that I wasn’t standing in the unemployment line. I had a short stint of about 3 months when I couldn’t find a job and that is pretty terrible feeling to have. 1 Thes 5:18 says to give thanks in everything – let me tell you, it can be really difficult sometimes, but I am convinced that this was one of the primary keys that helped me stick it out.
2 – I worked harder
When you hate your job, the tendency is to slack off and just do the bare minimum. Whether I was not good at my job or better than everyone around me, it didn’t matter – I was still called to work hard. Col 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” As I got a hold of that it really brought peace, because I knew that even if I had a tyrannical boss, if I worked hard for the Lord, things would work out for me. I didn’t have to get caught up in brown-nosing or jumping through hundreds of hoops to keep the boss in a good mood. I just needed to work hard and trust God to take care of the rest.
3 – I prayed
This is pretty obvious, but it should still be mentioned. During that phase I often found myself meditating and praying Psalm 37. It talks a lot about waiting on the Lord and how He sustains the righteous.
I prayed that He would give me favor with my bosses and co-workers. He did. I prayed that He would give me grace to stick it out to the end. He did. I prayed that he would lead me to a job that I loved. He did.
4 – I was active
I didn’t really know if the whole making money with a blog thing was possible, but I started a blogging anyway. Had I not been putting some action to my faith (James 2:20) by starting a blog, I would probably still be in a job that I hated somewhere. I was also actively scanning job listings, tweaking my resume, and taking classes to make myself a more valuable asset to an employer.
Final thoughts
If you are in a job you hate, I am sorry. It’s not fun at all and I know how difficult it can be, but don’t be discouraged! You are not stuck, there is a way out, and there is something better on the horizon. I don’t think I have a monopoly on things you should do when you hate your job, but, I do think doing the four things listed above is a great place to start. Pray and read Psalm 37 – you will feel better.
How did you (or do you) survive your “hate your job” phase?
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You (or may not) have noticed a 31 Day theme around the blogosphere the past few days. October is the month of 31 Days of Writing for many bloggers. They choose a theme and write on it for 31 straight days.
If you know me at all, you know that I love counting my blessings. It’s a full time job, I tell ya.
Even though I am not participating in this event on my blog, these 31 Day Challenges have inspired me to write 31 things I am thankful for.
My hope is to challenge you to look for the blessings in your own life.
I know life can be hard: there are so many challenges we face in this fallen world. But, I would challenge you, even among the financial troubles, the illness, the loss, the pain, and the struggles of life, to see the blessings that have been bestowed upon us.
I challenge you to write a list of your own 31 blessings. In the meantime, here are mine:
1. Life – the very fact that I woke up today is a blessing.
2. Faith – I shudder to think of where and who I would be without my faith in Jesus Christ.
3. Family – My eyes fill with tears when I think of the family God has blessed me with.
4. My Church Family – there is something deep and beautiful about worshipping, serving, and praying with fellow believers.
5. Friends – My friends are some of the most kind, loving, generous, and faithful people I know.
6. Food – While attempting to keep teenagers full of good food has its challenges, we are abundantly blessed to not know hunger.
7. Water – clean, abundant, hot, cold water
8. Forgiveness – Oh, how great is the forgiveness of our heavenly Father! And of others.
9. Grace, Not Perfection – It is all about grace.
10. Hope – Christ in me, “the hope of glory” ~Colossians 1:27
11. My Home – Home is where I spend my days with my best friend, where I watch my children grow up, where I learn what it is to care for my family, and where I feel at peace.
12. God’s Gifts – God has gifted each of us so that we may minister to others for our growth, their benefit, and His glory.
13. Love – “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” ~1 Corinthians 13:13 (NJKV)
14. Trials – This is probably something not often found on a gratitude list, but I believe that God uses trials to grow us, and for that I am thankful. (James 1:2-3)
15. Prayer – That the God of the universe desires continual communion with us astounds me.
16. God’s Word – Much like my faith, I would be lost without the word of God. It truly is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
17. Laughter – I love hearing people laugh, especially my husband and my children.
18. Joy – Not just happiness as a result of circumstances, but the true joy of the Lord.
19. Freedom – to worship, to homeschool my children, and most importantly, freedom in Christ
20. Pets – Like furry family members, our pets often bring us great companionship.
21. The Beauty of Creation: northern lights, fall leaves, falling snow, starry skies, ocean waves. God’s creation is as endless as it is majestic and beautiful.
22. Knowledge & Wisdom– I am so thankful for the things I have learned in this life.
23. Electricity & Internet – both only need be out for a few hours to realize how much we rely on them
24. Modern Conveniences – As much as I love the simple life, I am thankful for the appliances that make my life easier.
25. Giving & Receiving– both are blessings in countless ways
26. Health & Modern Medicine – I know there is much to be desired in this area, but I am thankful nonetheless.
27. Wild Flowers – they are simply beautiful, especially when carried into the house by a loving husband or precious child
28. My Marriage – I am so thankful to be married to my best friend.
29. My Local Library – movies, books, music, and homeschool material all for free (well, sorta free)
30. Dirty Dishes – though I tire of washing them, they are a reminder that I am blessed to have them, a kitchen, hot water, food, and a family to dirty them
31. You. Thank you for taking the time to read the words that God has placed upon my heart.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High ~Psalm 9:1-2 (ESV)
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing us abundantly above and beyond all that we can imagine. Please help us to refocus our eyes that we might see the many gifts that surround us. In Your precious name we pray. Amen.
The book that has inspired me the most in this area is 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. To purchase it from Amazon, click here.
*Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. You are not obligated to make any purchases, but when you do through one of my links or the Amazon search box to the right, I will make a small percentage on the sale. Thank you for supporting my site.
If you’d like to read another wonderful post, see Creative Home Keepers, A Thankful Heart.
You might also enjoy:
More Than Enough
Shared at Soul Survival, Rich Faith Rising, Cornerstone Confessions, Teach Me Tuesday, Sandra Heska King, Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood, A Little R&R, Missional Weekend, & The Fabulous Fall Linky Party.
Also at Testimony Tuesday, What You Wish Wednesday, Tell His Story, Teaching What Is Good, The Autumn Bash, Soul Survival, The Art of Homemaking Mondays, SHINE Blog Hop, & Chasing Joy.
I’d like to wish my Uncle Keith a very Happy Birthday today! You are, after all, one of the things in this world I am most thankful for. I love and miss you dearly.
What do you think? Are you intentional about counting the blessings in your life? How does this make a difference in the way you see things?
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The first sentence is fine as a statement that you are thanking God. It’s short for “I thank God for his grace and mercy…” It’s not a prayer only because you are not actually addressing God, but it could be part of a conversation, discussion, testimonial in church, etc.
The second sentence doesn’t work quite right. If you are literally saying “Thanks” to God, as in you are offering a prayer to God and are speaking to him/her, then you will want to to say “Thanks, God, for your grace and mercy…”
If you want more formality, as in “Thanks be to God for …” that’s fine, but what you have is also fine, with the small changes.
answered Mar 2 ’12 at 2:53
Thank God!
is the correct way of expressing gratitute to God. It’s one of the rare cases of legitimate use of the Subjunctive Mood.
‘Thanks God’ is possible in the Indicative Mood (3rd person)
My sister thanks God every day for .
When your friend Jim does you a favor, you can thank him:
Thanks, Jim!
The same way it’s technically possible to say:
Thanks, God!
as an informal way of saying ‘thank you’ to God, as though you were speaking with him/her in person. Note the use of the comma.
answered Mar 1 ’12 at 21:12
If you’re looking for something leaning toward the formal, I suggest praise be to God for .
answered Mar 1 ’12 at 22:22
If you actually mean to thank a deity, then “Thanks be to God” is more appropriate than your other suggestions.
“Thank God …” is basically used to mean “I’m glad that…”, “It’s a good job that…”. It isn’t usually used when the intention is to actually thank a deity.
To me, “Thanks, God!” would if used at all be a fairly informal, sarcastic way of expressing displeasure rather than pleasure at something. I suppose it could be a very informal way of actually thanking a deity as well… but I don’t think you’ll readily hear it in a place of worship.
answered Mar 2 ’12 at 0:15
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