Thursday, December 11, 2008

Homeless and Jobless

On Monday morning, I took the big plunge and submitted my letter of resignation at work. As of January 16th, I will no longer be employed by CP. After almost 7 years of pouring my heart and soul into the ministry, I know I'll miss it. However, I think I made the right decision...I hope. For a few of you this may come as a shock. For those of you that have been in contact with me recently, you know I've been wrestling with my next step.

While the internet is probably not the best place to go into all of my reasons for resigning, here are a few of the main ones:

  • CP is just not the same without Jason. As long as I have been at CP, I've been serving with Jason, and it breaks my heart that he isn't here.

  • I have lost a lot of my passion and vision for CP. While I still love the ministry, I just don't have the energy, passion, and vision to move forward.

  • The office is moving to a Wilmore, KY about three hours away. If I want to stay with CP, I will need to move as well. I know that my days at CP are numbered, so it seems ridiculous to move my life to Wilmore, only to have to move again in eight months.

  • The shear work involved to move operations from TN to KY before next summer seems overwhelming and intimidating to me. I'm already exhausted, and the big push of the move has not yet happened.

  • Since Jason died almost a year ago, I've had to jump in and take over the reins to keep the day to day operations going. I have been so busy keeping things rolling that I don't feel like I have had time or space to really deal with my grief.

  • Since my only coworker lives in KY, I have been working all alone in the big empty office the past four months. It has been lonely, discouraging and depressing. I rarely see another person all day long, and I don’t think it is healthy for me to be alone so much right now. I need to be surrounded by other people and feel like I’m not alone in every aspect of my life. I desire to be part of team working toward a common goal.

  • I believe that CP will be better off, if they find passionate, energetic people to take my place.

So now you are probably wondering what my next step is. The truth is that your guess is as good as mine. I have a few potential job situations. I am really excited about one possibility, but realistically it might now pan out.

In the meantime, I need to be out of my house in TN on Jan 19th. At this point, I’m planning to put most of our stuff in storage and move in to my parents’ house temporarily until my next step becomes clear.

This was an extremely difficult decision for me. I wanted to be able to step directly from one job and house to the next, but I guess life doesn’t always work out the way you hope. While I am grateful that I have family and friends to fall back on, it is a blow to my pride.

I know I am in a unique and temporary situation. I still struggle with the fact that I am almost 30 with a child in tow, and I am moving back in with my parents. I haven’t lived with my parents since I was seventeen. Financially, I could rent an apartment or house, but it seems foolish to waste the time and money when I have no idea when and where I am going next.

I usually consider myself a fairly adventurous person, but with all of the trauma and transition I’ve had to face in the last year, I am craving stability, security and routine. Instead of moving in that direction, my life is becoming more unstable, less secure and anything but routine. What a wild, crazy, ride! I’m holding on (to God) for dear life.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Proud of you Joy! Keep clinging to our Lord and He will show you the paths! Parents are awesome and receiving a little help is good, no need to feel like your pride is being hurt! God is good, you are awesome and a team you will go together! Praying.....

Anonymous said...

I echo everything that Anonymous said. I hope this time with your parents will build up your strength and be EXACTLY what you need.... I think this is a very wise decision, nothing at all to feel defeated about.

Thanks for keeping us posted; it helps us to pray for you specifically.
--chris ferguson (from CP)

Anonymous said...

Joy, you are beautiful! There is some reason your parents named you Joy, but right now, I know why....because you are really bringing joy to a lot of people through your open heart, honesty,and trust in the Lord! You have walked through a tough battle, but are reaching so many people as you battle through the dark and sunshine! Keep smiling!

Anonymous said...

You may be homeless and jobless, but you are not unloved! We are supporting you Joy!

Anonymous said...

Want to come to CO? It's a beautiful place! :)

Marci said...

Praying...praying...praying! I hope that you enjoy and savor your time at home and this season in your life. We love you friend!

Anonymous said...

Joy, you ROCK and God DOES have a plan for you! Hang tight!