Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.—Proverbs 3:5

Two years ago, I developed the desire to serve at church. Around the same time, God had blessed me with employment that provided a decent financial situation and offered flexible hours. But I found myself struggling to find my passion, and this new job was not filling that void. I finally submitted the situation to God. Then one day, I got a card with Proverbs 3:5-6 on it: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I felt certain God wanted me to get that card because my heart felt full and cared for as soon as I read it. What I didn't realize though, was that my desire to serve was connected to my desire for a passion.

I then kept seeing and hearing that verse pretty much everywhere. So, a couple months after, as I served at church and in my community, I was also learning to wait on God. I loved the work I was doing while serving, and I realized God had answered my prayer; serving people was my passion. However, worry about my financial future soon flooded my mind, and I started scrambling for ways to become more financially secure. Financial security was my main aim in life, but this goal stressed me out majorly.

I began feeling distant from God, so I decided to cut back on most of  the activities I was pursuing so I could mend my relationship with Him. At that same time, I noticed that my job wasn’t providing as much financially as it used to. Once again, Proverbs 3:5-6 started appearing everywhere as it did the year before. I interpreted this as God trying to get my attention. He wanted me to see that I was depending on myself instead of Him.

I was faced with a difficult choice: Should I pursue a regular, full-time job and serve in ministry only in my free time, or should I wait for God to provide a job with a flexible schedule that would allow me to serve to the extent I felt He wanted? 

I shared my struggle with my mom and a close friend, asking them to keep me in prayer. Not long after, while in my room, I looked over at my dresser where a pocket-sized journal that contained daily verses caught my eye. I already had a verse I was focusing on for that day and was about to glance past the journal; however, I felt a strong urge to open it. The verse of the day was, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. —Psalm 23:1.” As soon as the words left my lips, a flood of encouragement and conviction came over me. I felt sure God was telling me to agree to a recent invitation to serve in full time ministry and to trust Him to provide my needs. So, I obeyed. Admittedly, I had little to no experience doing the kinds of work required: community outreach, missions teams hosting, radio talk shows, etc., but I said ‘yes’ anyway.

Exactly a year later, what I thought was an opportunity for me to serve has turned out to be an opportunity for me to be served. My service at My Refuge Christian Ministries has allowed me to blossom in so many ways, I don’t have enough fingers to count them. Likewise, my service in youth ministry at LifeNet Church has helped me to grow. I not only found my passion, but I've learned important lessons that will stay with me forever.

I’ve learned that when we fully put our trust in God, He responds in mind-blowing ways. We see the fulfillment of His promise that He will “make our paths straight.”

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