Last week, my job that I
waited for, for so long, ended. I have worked hard all of my life in school,
and then at ECHO. I like being productive, and hate going to bed without having
anything to show for the day. When I moved to Portland I was out of school, and
did not have a job. Reading was nice in little bits, and there were things I
was doing for Reach Global that kept me busy, but I did not really feel like I had
accomplished much it the end of the day. It felt like I had no real purpose and
was not living for anything. Since I hoped to be visiting churches on weekends,
employers refused my job applications, looking for people who would work
flexible days, instead.
My roommate would ask me
every day after he got home from school, "What did you do today?" I
would be forced to think about having not accomplished much of what I thought
to be of much value.
 |
| Taking a brake from work to munch on a few carrots |
During this time I came to see how much I
focus on work, and how much it can take over my view. As a result, other aspects of my life suffered like spiritual, physical,
and relational. I spent a lot of time with the Lord, thought a lot about my
values, and volunteered at a soup kitchen. It was a good time of reflection and feeding some parts of my life, but not others, but this time I was unbalanced the other way. Then, when I could almost not bear
going to bed any more for lack of daily work, God gave me a Job. I got hired at
the airport to load and unload UPS jets. It was only part-time, but gave me
purpose, allowed me keep weekends open, and still gave me plenty of time to
spend in quiet time with the Lord. I saw the importance of a balanced life, one
which keeps me busy, but also allows me to have time for other needs.
