Stepping Out On Faith

So yesterday I put in my two weeks notice of resignation from the retail store that I have been working at the part time since May.  No I don't have another part time job lined up.  I decided that I needed to step out on faith, and that is what I did.

Let me rewind.  I never was really fond of this job from the beginning.  Working in retail is a lot of work.  It is physical, meaning I am constantly walking around, carrying clothes, picking things up, and on my feet for the entire shift.  But it also has a mental component.  I have to deal with customers who are not always friendly, who ignore me when I say hello, and can sometimes just be darn right rude.  And the pay HA.  Having a discount helps sometimes, a little bit, but not much.  However, I took this job for times when I reach a lull in legal work.  I thought that having some income, no matter how small, is better than nothing.  Overall this experience has not been a loss though.  I learned a lot about how retail works.  It made me have an even greater appreciation for people who are in the service industry.  In addition, it made me improve my own relations with people.  I can talk to strangers with ease.  I also find myself smile at random strangers. Also, I was forced to humble myself to get a job that I didn't have the requirement of two degrees.  These are all good things which I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience.

But I still wanted to resign from this position as soon as possible.  However, I always felt like it was irresponsible for me to quit without more stability or without something else in place.  A few weeks ago I felt otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago in church I had a feeling.  I felt as if I needed to devote more time to ministry work, getting more involved with the church, and to helping others.  This is not actually a new feeling though.  I had been thinking about this for the past few months.  However, I have always been held back by time restrains aka having a weekend job.  But it was a couple of weeks ago I thought that maybe it was really time for me quit.

So then last week I finally made up my mind.  It started on Saturday.  I was volunteering with my fellow University of Maryland Black Alumni members at a soup kitchen in DC. When I volunteer it never feels like work.  The people I serve may be in need, but they are are fulfilling my needs just the same. Volunteering, serving, being around others is something that I am good at.  It is such an awesome and powerful feeling that I need to feel more often.

Then the church service last Sunday sealed the deal.  The guest minister, Pastor Ray Chang preached a sermon basically saying that you don't have to have a big platform in order to serve.  He also reminded me that it only takes a mustard seed of faith to be a follower of Christ.  Ever since I knew that I wanted to live a life devoted to service I thought it was supposed to be on a big scale.  I still think that I am destined to do big things, but I realized that I do not have to wait until then to make a difference.  I can make a difference on a smaller scale and I need to start now.

When I figured all of that out, I was excited.  I have told a few friends and my family.  Not everyone is as excited about my decision as I am.  But I realized that not everyone is going to understand nor agree with my  rationale.  Not everyone is the same place in their own spiritual journey as me.  But all I know is that I might not always hear or understand what God is telling me, but right now it feels right.  I might not have work by the end of the month, but I trust that God will have another plan for me, because he has gotten me through all of this time, I have faith that he will not let me fall now.

So I ask you all to just say a little prayer for me.  And I hope that maybe if you have been given instructions by God that maybe you will have the courage to step out on faith, no matter whether others agree with it or not.