Monday 11 October 2010

Big Decisions

In the last few days I had to make one of those big decisions where you know if you don't follow what God is clearly saying, you may regret it for a long while to come.

I've clearly got to fill you in on what's been going on, so read on if you're interested!

I work as a carpenter for my brother Simon who owns a loft conversion company. We have worked together ever since I felt God tell me I needed to pursue carpentry as a career instead of carrying on with journalism, which was my job at that time. I LOVED journalism. It was my world and a very happy one at that. I used to get paid to drive new cars and write about them for lots of different car magazines. Being a man and being paid to drive fast cars is pretty much as good as it gets. But God wanted me out of that and into the family business. The type of business where you get covered in saw dust, soot and water. Not really my cup of tea. I was only persuaded to get into carpentry by the Big G Himself when He gently reminded me that carpentry was His family's trade, too!

Who was I to argue?

Shortly after changing jobs we felt God calling us to a massive move from the UK to Australia. And I knew that carpentry was the only key to this move. God had changed my career before telling me why. Good job it wasn't the other way around!

So I've been doing carpentry ever since that moment in 2004. But in the last year or so I have been suffering with a bad back from all of the stooping over in lofts and I have also been feeling really down about the fact that this big move hasn't happened yet and actually feeling like maybe carpentry wasn't for me. So I decided to tell my brother, enough was enough. After all, there was no way I wanted to live the rest of my days with back pain.

But on the very day I chose to tell Simon my bad news I noticed my old job was being advertised. Yes the writing one. The writing one about cars. Same job, same company, same desk. I couldn't believe it. So I applied. Told Simon. We shook hands and I agreed to continue on for one or two remaining jobs.

Last Tuesday I went for an interview and from the reaction of the editor (an old friend of mine) I am pretty sure that I may be offered this job, but on Friday of the same week my brother offered me a new role within his company. It meant that I would be now running the sites rather than working on them. The money was better than the writing job I wanted, too.

So, I then had this dilemma. Do I take the ultimate job or the job that God wanted me to do? You see, some of you may be reading this thinking, well it's obvious. But to me who loves writing so much it hurts, it wasn't an easy choice because I had not seen any evidence of where my current career was actually going and in my last job I was actually making a name for myself in motoring journalistic circles. This wasn't easy. Until Friday night, that is, anyway.

I was on my way to Tesco when I felt God say, "Stop getting in my way. I'm trying to get you to where I want you."

That was it. Decision made.

I have not heard about the outcome of my job interview yet but I start my new role later this week and I cannot wait.

You see, when it comes to difficult decisions like these, there can be only one right way to go. His way. I am SO glad that my God loved me first.

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