God taught me to stay contented while waiting upon Him through my career

Philippians 4:11-13, “11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

After working for a couple of years in the private sector, I began to be curious how much my peers were earning now particularly in the public sector. So I began to check it out. While it was interesting to keep up to date the development of my friends and knowing that they were doing well in their respective career, it was to my dismay, I was not as well paid as them. I met up with a headhunter and through our discussion; she too felt that I should be earning around 10 to 15% higher than my current package. I felt shortchanged by my company. It has been close to 2.5 years in my existing company and my pay has not been raised to a level that I am satisfied. It does not really help when I am losing my passion in my current role. I began set in my heart to start seeking other jobs proactively by searching for new opportunities in the papers. However, my heart just does not feel right with it. There was no peace.

Soon there was a re organization in the company which led me to a new role with a new boss. My new job title reflected a promotion and so I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask for a pay raise. However I found myself to be disappointed for I was informed that my new job title was a just a change in job designation; no raise will be given. However I would like to admit that this new role actually did inject a new lease of motivation in me, which was painfully needed, despite no monetary gains.

Just that day, Pastor Amos preached about a period of transition as God plans to move you from one place to another where you just wait on the Lord even though there is no answer to your prayers. Thoughts of discontentment sometimes come to derail you from a supposed path that God wants you to take. This spoke to my heart. A week before that, one of our church leaders, Rajan, also taught on our own desire vs God’s desire for our life. It dawned on me that I have been too prideful and not contented with what I have now. I have been seeking around to justify for a higher pay because I felt unfairly compensated and possibly just being competitive. Probably God wants me to stay in the current job a little longer for there might be a bigger plan waiting for me in the near future. Although it is not wrong to desire for a higher pay, it seems like my motivation for doing so is not right and pure.

In the meantime, I will continue to do my best and fulfill my duty to my company but at the same time learn to be content as Paul shared in Philippians 4:11-13, while I wait upon the Lord.

Anonymous