RESTORATION: My Personal Story

 

There was a time in my life when everything fell apart. I felt the depth of loneliness and I truly felt like life would never be joyful again. This is the story of how God placed my feet on solid ground once again.

Due to the location of my job, poor decisions my husband and I made and an array of other circumstances, we were living over 2 hours away from one another. In a moment of clarity, we decided that our marriage could only be successful if we lived together under one roof. That decision required I look for a new job, closer to my husband.

It was one of the worst economic declines in recent history and I was not optimistic. But when God has a plan, things happen. I applied for 11 jobs in one week and began receiving phone calls immediately. All those phone calls turned into phone interviews, three of them turned into face-to-face interviews and two turned into verbal job offers. Here I was, the day after the stock market dropped 630 points, with two job prospects.

After much thought, I chose a job. Until…I received the strangest call of my life. The hiring manager from my choice company called to rescind her verbal offer. Apparently, through some really strange misunderstanding, she was led to believe that I was dishonest. She began to verbally attack my character. Her attack was so out of left field that even the recruiter overseeing the interview process was confused and dumbfounded. This was so strange that I’m convinced it was God’s providence and intervention in my life. So, God closed that door. I’d say He slammed it shut!

The next day I received an offer from the other company. It was a fantastic company with amazing people and it seemed like a great fit. As soon as I read the offer, my stomach began to churn. The thought of signing made me nauseated, which made no sense at all. This was the answer to my prayers. It was the job that would bring me home to my husband. It was the job that would stop this insane driving schedule. Why was I sick to my stomach? Why was I in tears?

I literally had an anxiety attack on the way to church. I was so nauseated that I had to lie down during the ride. During praise and worship that Sunday, I spent the entire time weeping. And, I mean, embarrassing myself-sobbing and blowing my nose weeping. I definitely owe the church about 3 boxes of tissues. I’m sure it confused the entire congregation because they had prayed us through this struggle. Wasn’t I supposed to be celebrating and praising God for this victory? If they weren’t wondering about it, I sure was. I had a husband who expected me to sign on the dotted line on Monday morning. So I resolved that I would go to the office on Monday morning, turn in my notice and send over the signed offer letter – no matter how sick I was about it.

I walked into my boss’s office on Monday so nervous I thought I might drop dead right there. I explained my plans and his reaction surprised me. He immediately began working on a plan to keep me with the company.

Within the hour, I was offered a huge raise, a substantial bonus, an office closer to my husband and a job title change. Let me remind you that I was an assistant. My job included getting lunches for important people. I didn’t know how I could even do that from another office location but, these people wanted to keep me.

Isn’t it just like God to restore everything that the enemy attempts to steal from us? The enemy attacked my reputation which in turn attacked my self-confidence. And, what did God do? He restored it all. He sent me a clear message that I was valuable and not because of what I had done for the company. The company chose to keep me even though I did nothing remarkable for them. The message was that I am not valuable because of what I do, but because of who I am. I am who God says I am. I am not what a cruel misunderstanding says I am – dishonest and unethical. I am not the insecure thoughts that I think every day. I am an heir. I am the righteousness of Christ. I am a friend of Jesus. I am more than a conqueror. I am worthy because He makes me worthy. I am who He says I am. And so are you!

~Trisha Bowman
Christ Fellowship member