Upside Down?

So how do you cope with change? Does it stress you out? Does it give you fear? Does it excite you? Maybe a little of all of that?

For me, it’s a little of everything. The thought of letting go of the familiar, taking a leap of faith and turning my life upside down terrified me. Here I was, 25 years old, single, with a mortgage and no back up plan, and EVERYTHING needed to change.

I was stuck. I was hurting. And I was restless.

The summer of 2006 I was given a “promotion” that turned out to be a very BAD thing. The management who designed the position did not research it very well, and I can’t help but think I was being set up to fail. So I actually made a wise decision and began praying for clarity, wisdom and strength.

Took awhile to know what I was supposed to do, but as the climate in my job became increasingly hostile, I felt a very strong, very CLEAR push to leave the job behind, right wrong or otherwise.

Naturally, this was not the “wise” decision I was hoping for. So I resisted a little bit, dug in my heels, clenched my jaw and continued to put up with unwarranted abuse from a very sad, vindictive boss. I had limits, though. I decided at one point that if ONE more “incident” occurred, I was gone. They’d be lucky if they got their 2 weeks notice.

As predicted, the one last “incident” occurred and I balked. I had told a friend in the office that I was thinking of leaving and really felt that the Lord was telling me that it would be ok. So I sent her an email and said, “Hey… I don’t know if I can do this!!!” What she wrote back I’ll never forget, “Becca… it’s not faith if you have a backup plan…” And I said, “Ok!” and marched into the HR office and quit. That was the beginning of an amazing series of events.

Long story short, my last day there was Dec. 8, I had an interview Dec. 12th and was immediately offered the position. It was exactly what I wanted, and I ended up taking it. My house sold to the first couple that came to see it (they looked at it Dec. 9th) and we closed in January. I drove up here on January 7th and crashed on a friend’s couch until the end of the month when my apartment became available and my house was sold.

There were so many little things that happened that could ONLY have been coordinated by The Higher Power and it really just makes me giggle because I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d TRIED. And I’m a really good planner!!!

So, in short, I’ve learned that faith can bring you through some dark times… and sometimes the best part is just watching God move the building blocks of your life precisely into the right place, with impeccable timing and unmatched grace.

So that was the overhaul on my job and where I lived.

The next project was my personal life. There was some “paring” that needed to be done. So, yet another step of faith… It was time to end a very long relationship, difficult as that may be, and I did. And it was horrible… and it drug out… and it was off & on… quite possibly one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. It’s taken most of the year to get that project “finished” but by the grace of God, I believe it is finally in the past.

Then, the blessings started coming… The Lord saw fit to bring new people into my life this year. One is my dear friend Courtney, and the other is Blake. Courtney and I are very different, but VERY much alike and have a very special relationship. My two other best friends, Daeon & Meredith, live either out of the state, or a good 200 miles away. It is such a relief to have a bosom buddy that lives close by. We have had many breakfasts, many dinners, many new pairs of shoes, matching shirts and memorable adventures. Oh the stories we could tell, but probably shouldn’t!! HAHA! She is a Godsend.

Then there’s Blake. Blake is something special. We first found friendship. We laugh, we joke and we just have fun. No more oil & water… more like 2 peas in a pod. We have a lot of differences, but the similarities simply cannot be ignored. I am grateful to have him in my life. I am happy when we are together… there is no awkwardness, no difficulty communicating… none of the things that I had actually become accustomed to. So here we have this great friendship, but day by day, it's turning into something more. What a sweet surprise...

Wow this is getting way too long!

I also wanted to mention that I feel like He has mended a childhood friendship that needed some maturing… Even though we are states apart, I have my sweet Dae back. She has been a pillar of strength and encouragement and has stuck with me through some of the hardest things I’ve been through yet. Between Daeon, Courtney and Meredith… (and of course my family) and the loving arms of Jesus, I can honestly say that my life was not turned upside down…

…it was finally turned right-side up.

I love you all… you know who you are.