Sometimes taking leaps of faith require a lot of hard work. You do everything in your power and then beyond that you have trust that things will turn out well in the end. This has been the theme of several stretches this year. In October, my temporary assignment at a surgery center’s front desk ended and I had to seek further employment. I had to work hard to put money aside to cover unemployment, I had to work hard to earn interviews, but in the end, I trusted that God would open up an employment opportunity at the right time. And it happened.

And do you know where I am now? Seven months ago, I was living with my parents and working three jobs. Today I live on my own with three roommates and have a full time job with benefits. It took a lot of hard work and quite a bit of faith to leap from stable part-time jobs to a temporary job to a permanent full time job. It took trust to do this transition while also transitioning to a new home with monthly rent. It took trust to change the status quo.

Through all this, I have found encouragement in Biblical teachings. The apostle Paul was an educated, eloquent man and in his letter to the Philippians, he wrote,

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have the learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me. (ESV translation)

And another verse that I pondered on was Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” I told God where I wanted to be and to let it be so according to his will. He sent messengers ahead of me to make everything possible. Literally. While I was working at the front desk and working hard to earn my keep, I got wind that a position was opening up in another department of the center and co-workers went ahead of me to tell the department’s manager to interview me and hire me. They went to her of their own volition and I am in their debt to their kindness.

Now to illustrate these recent weeks! During my time between full-time employment, I did some exploring.

I visited relatives…

Enjoyed fall colors…

And new places…

Then after I started my new job, I was finally able to visit my college roommate in DC again. We did our usual exploring and I got to see the Portrait Gallery for the first time.

And I still post the occasional work-related image….

My current hours allow me get up early, do yoga for 15-20 minutes and brew my own coffee, and get off work early enough to enjoy some of the evening. I feel so blessed right now! As you can imagine, I have been rather preoccupied the past 6-7 months with redirecting my life, so I haven’t been too active on my blog or with my DSLR camera. But I do have two undeveloped rolls of film that are itching to be developed!

More to come. I hope everyone has a merry Christmas! Thank you for stopping by today.