Every Second of Every Day
Story of Faith and God’s Plan for Me Written by Jodie Williams
When I graduated from high school, I had a dream opportunity to go to a music school. For some reason, I was struggling to decide if it was the right place for me. I had a lot of reservations, and I wasn’t sure if the good outweighed them. The night before I had to submit my decision, my dad stayed up almost all night with me and assured me that he and my mom would support whatever decision I made. I ultimately decided not to go, and within a year of that decision, my life would change drastically. It would become the start of the life I have now.
I had been playing music with friends who lived religious lives. Their example of faithful service led me to start asking questions. I felt pulled to church to learn more about what they were doing and found truth in the gospel of Jesus Christ. My conversion to Christ and the happiness His gospel now brings me stemmed from those months, far from my dream school.
A few years later, I got a job offer to work in television in Los Angeles. I had never lived away from home so I was scared, but really excited. I remember the first night, by myself, after my parents drove away. I called my mom in tears- it was so hard! But the next day, someone from my church congregation called me and invited me to a jazz club in this totally seedy part of LA and it was the best. I met so many amazing people in that congregation and a couple years later, John, my future husband, would sit next to me in a Sunday school class.
After we got married, I finished graduate school and took a job at a large insurance brokerage– an industry I never thought I’d work in, but it was in California and that was where we really wanted to live. After that, however, we started to go through many ups and downs regarding our jobs and finding the right fit for our family.
I often got restless and impatient knowing that the scenario we were in at that moment was a transition, and I’d wonder–when am I getting to my destination?
Commit thy way unto the LORD; Trust also in him; And he shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:5)
A few years ago, we felt like we were very much in a transition period and as we were discussing our jobs, our home, and our five young kids, we started to wonder if it was time to move. It was a difficult decision because we loved it in California- our kids were all born here, we had friends we loved; this is where we had built our life. But we needed something different and as we thought more on it, the idea of moving from California to Utah started to feel scary, but at the same time made sense.
There is always a lot of chaos and nerves around making a big decision, but the moment we decided to follow the prompting, everything felt so calm.
We were blessed that everything fell into place for our move- our home sold quickly, our kids settled into a new school and we were welcomed by family, friends and a wonderful new congregation. John eventually started a job in recruiting, which he loved. I decided I wanted to do something part time and was able to get a job where I could work remotely and the hours were flexible so I could still volunteer in the kids’ classes and be involved with them, but still feel like I was accomplishing something outside of my role as a mom.
We still missed California terribly. I remember not long after we moved to Utah, John’s dad blessed him and said that just because we were supposed to leave California, it didn’t mean we would never go back. We held onto the hope that if we were obedient and trusted God’s plan, we’d end up where we wanted to be.
After a few years in Utah, John got a job offer in California in recruiting. At the same time, my company got acquired and the person who hired me started his own company and asked me to join. It was like our dreams were coming true- going back to California with jobs we both loved and the flexibility to still be there for our kids as they went back to their schools and picked back up with old friends.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Nothing is perfect, but I constantly think about how Heavenly Father has always taken care of us. All of the hard decisions around school, work, children, and where we would live as a family have led us to where we are today. God had his hand in every moment of our lives- from my doubts about school to our move from the home we loved. Those transition periods are hard, making big, uncomfortable decisions is really challenging, but God has a plan for our lives and He knows how to create the life we need.
Heavenly Father has been with us every step, every second of every day.
