Why I Left the Job I Prayed for to Have the Job I Prayed For

Around this time two years ago I walked away from the life I dreamed of and prayed for. The cute uptown apartment right around the corner from the historical streetcar line and a cushy job at New Orleans’s dominating healthcare system. I mean... I’m still a clinical pharmacist but now just somewhere else, and now I live in a less posh zip code of the “suburbs.” But, while things are quite different from what they used to be, I actually prayed for this life too!

In 2017, after only a couple years out from residency and working at my “dream job” with amazing co-workers, God started giving me the desire for a life that would challenge me and help me grow. This is not to say I didn’t have some challenges and opportunities for growth at my current job. Clinical pharmacists are a hard group of people to manage (but a great group of people to lead) so I didn’t sweat the issues too much. And while I loved my cute uptown apartment, boy was it sucking my joy sometimes. I felt discouraged by the fact that I was not saving as much as I would have liked, and not able to contribute financially to evangelical and medical missions. But I stayed, because I felt like I was getting such a great deal for where I was. After busting my butt in pharmacy school and residency, it was finally my time to put myself first. It was my reward!

Nevertheless, God kept telling me I was overstaying my welcome in that season of complacency and comfort. How did He do that? You see, in New Orleans, we’re very hospitable people, but it’s also possible to overstay your welcome here. But hospitable people don’t ask you to leave. Instead, we ask “so what you about to get into?” So in 2017, God asked “what we about to get into?” Cause when God wants you to move, it can come as an invitation. Other times, He’ll just shake you. Full disclosure, I got an invitation but waited until I was shook to do actually do anything about it (I get in my own way sometimes).

Here's how that happened: I was having a frustrating season at work and had started to read the stories of the first kings of Israel again (1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, etc. I highly recommend doing this when you’re in a time of transition in your life. There are such great lessons from these books to reflect on when you’re reading about Israel’s time of transition as well) and came across Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1. Acknowledging the power of her sincere prayer, I said one for myself. I can’t recall the exact words, and I can’t even remember if it was for a new job. I just know I wanted God to do something new in my life. 

The very next morning, my coworker came into the office and announced that a newly re-opened health system posted openings for our exact positions. Oh. Man. Coincidence? Or God? I withheld any further action and committed more prayer to the situation. These subsequent prayers I do remember: “God, I don’t just want to jump at every seemingly good thing. If this is what you want me to do, give me a little love tap or something?” At the end of the week, there was a meeting at work in which I gave a suggestion on a process improvement strategy. My manager’s response was the love tap: “if you don’t like how it’s done here, then you can leave.” That evening, I started my application for the new job.

Here’s an even crazier signal of God’s faithfulness in this process. Had I not moved to Nola for my “dream job” and instead taken a position at a more internationally recognized institution, I would not have met some pretty key players in 2015 that helped me secure this new position when I applied for it in 2017 (Interestingly, I met these key players in separate instances, both at dinner. So there’s something special about how God works through food. I’m not just saying this as a foodie. But more to come on that so I don’t detract from the main message here).

I’ll conclude this story by acknowledging that my tenure at my new job did come (and still does come) with its own fair share of obstacles. They are still also opportunities for growth, but in ways I would not have been able to experience at my old job. Could I have stayed at my old job and had a fine time? Perhaps. But the difference here is obedience. God wanted me to move, so I moved. And whenever anyone asks if I’d go back to what I used to have... in full confidence of God’s faithfulness throughout this time, I say no. I love what obedience looks and feels like in my life. I love that I can give more, and just... live more. I love that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be fulfilling. In fact, it’s better this way.

 In love and veritas,

 Chioma