How God Came Through for Me in a Difficult Year
The year 2017 started out on a very challenging and very discouraging note for me. I was into the last 7 modules of my MBA course. As I was trying to balance work and studies, I crammed all seven modules into the first 2 months of the year as I did not want to stay away from my job for too long.
That was a big mistake. My Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year were burnt away. I had to do 28 consecutive days of classes, seven assignments and a project. On top of that, I was facing tremendous pressure from the office.
I thought I had my work situation all sorted out before I started my MBA course. Things did not turn out as planned. While I was struggling with my studies in school, my job position came under threat. Naturally, I was nervous about losing my job and became totally distracted in class. I never felt this helpless, I could not be in the office to defend my job position.
My biggest fear came true. Firstly, I was transferred out of my business unit. Then my salary was halved. Finally I lost the job I had for seven years. I came very close to a nervous breakdown. Fortunately, my family and friends kept cheering me on. At last, I graduated with a Masters in July 2017.
After I obtained my Masters that year, I decided to fly to Ireland to complete a month-long culinary course as cooking has always been my passion. And I finally found time to see the world. I travelled to Ireland, Iceland, Melbourne, Taiwan, Shanghai, Dubai, Thailand, and Penang. And in the midst of my travels, I was offered a job with a very established company in Singapore.
I am sharing my testimony with all of you because these are precious lessons I learned. I needed to learn to be humble and to trust God to work out my problems in His own perfect time and way. I needed to learn that His plan is impeccably greater than mine will ever be. I needed to learn to let go and let God be in control. I was trying to control too many things, things that only He can. I was playing God over my own life and the more I did that, the more exhausted I got. I was faced with one problem after another. I became mentally and emotionally drained.
I prayed but I was unprepared for the outcome. His answers did not look like solutions to me then. They looked more like problems. They caused even greater doubts and fears within me. I could not see how His answers corresponded to my prayers. I felt like I was going backwards. I was clearly not moving forward. I asked God, “What happened to all the hard work that I put into my job? Lord, why did you open one door and slam the other one in my face? Why do you need to put me through this?” I have never felt as helpless as I did then.
However, as disheartened as I was, I continued to pray. Finally God spoke to me at the 4.30pm Saturday Service in August 2017. God wanted me to let go of my insecurities, fears and anxieties and let Him take control. He wanted me to trust Him and be joyful. And suddenly it dawned upon me that God was using these situations to bring me back to Him. He was answering my prayers in unexpected ways. Not my way but His. I went on to claim God’s promise, "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." From that moment, when I released all my burdens to Him, I felt lighthearted and joyful.
God knows that I am far from perfect. He understands my limitations and did not test me beyond what I could handle. And when He came, He came with strength, to strengthen my soul. Letting go was never easy but the sooner we let go and let God handle our problems for us, the more peace we will find. He has promised, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
God has given me brand new strength and hope. With God by my side, I have become a warrior. I know that times will get rough but in such moments, I know that God will send me comfort, peace and the right amount of faith to get me back on track.
God has His plans for my life and I am sure he has everyone else’s too. May God bless you and have a blessed 2018.