How I Decided To Quit My Dream Job

If someone asked you to think about a mom in pain, it would be easy to imagine a woman in physical pain during labor, panting rapidly and screaming in agony. But there's a different kind of pain. For some moms, the hardest pain is laboring over this major life decision. 

Should I go back to work or should I stay home with the kids?

This is one of life’s most burning questions for working moms. Having been a working mom myself, I believe that there is no right or wrong answer here as long as a mother can manage and decide on matters that arise from each situation; matters such as - 

If I work, how will I balance my various roles?

If I stay home, how do I adjust? How do I shift my sense of purpose?

My Story

I left my dream career to prioritize my family life. I bid goodbye to what had become my comfort zone for many years. This job was more than 'just a job' to me; it was my lifestyle.

After I gave birth, I was determined to keep working. When my maternity leave was over, I went back to work.

It took me an entire year to weigh things, accept reality, and finally decide to embrace change. It took me that long to mentally prepare myself to face the unfamiliar challenges of a life focused on marriage and family.

​Throughout that year, I suffered in mental agony.  I felt frustrated, hurt, and miserable, especially at the thought of losing my career.

Think of it as a canvas where you've dedicated more than a decade of your life painting, adding brush stroke after meticulous brush stroke to create t​hat ultimate masterpiece you're proud of… imagine being told you had to just throw that away and start all over.

As I reached my emotional breaking point, I bent down on my knees and surrendered. I cried for help, that I may understand things clearly and know what to do.

​Really, it was the thought of God’s unconditional love that drove, guided, and sustained me towards making one of the hardest decisions of my life. 

When I humbled myself, that’s when I learned.

I learned to LISTEN.

I heard His call.  It was in my prayers that I sought before the Lord to show me the right path, to direct me into His way and to accept His will.  I prayed for strength and courage to start anew, acknowledging His calling of using me as an instrument to serve Him, my family and the people around me.  

I learned to OBEY.

Submitting myself to my husband was far from easy.  I was so afraid to give up the sense of control I had over my life that, for a year, I was willing to sacrifice my family for the sake of my career. However, realizing that when I put on the shield of faith in the Lord and decided to follow Him, it was easier for me to obey my husband.  

Having been in the service industry for more than a decade, I guess it was about time for me to take care of my own family.  

I learned to TRUST.

...in His greater plans.  I have a servant’s heart.  It makes me happy to make someone else’s day. After all, when you spend time serving other people, it’s emotionally rewarding. I chose to come home to do God’s will for my husband and my daughter, and to serve others the best way I can.     

Making your own Choice.

The truth is, no one will ever be ready or absolutely sure when faced with this decision.  Like me, you may enter a period of mental agonizing.

In such times, it’s all about learning to LISTEN to His call; to OBEY and accept the process; and to TRUST in His great promise. 

Whether you decide to be a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, you will find peace with the choice you make.

​In handing the paint brush over to Him, you’ll find that you have many more tomorrows to work on that canvas. Have faith that He is turning it into a masterpiece greater than what you could have ever imagined.