A few days ago…Friday March 7, 2014 was the day that I heard God tell me to trust him. I know that I am supposed to trust him each and every day of my life, through every situation and circumstance but that day was different. That is the day that I found out the company that I’ve worked for during the past 7 years is closing the office here in Atlanta and moving the jobs to Arizona. When I initially found out, obviously my heart skipped a few beats. I wanted to worry. I wanted to start the “what will I do?” thoughts. My initial thought was “let me update my resume right now”. I already knew that this would be a true test of faith.
I called my husband and shared the news with him and he immediately said “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine”. That sounded good, but how could I NOT worry about it? Not only was this about income, but this is also the same company that provided the awesome insurance that fully covered all of our infertility testing. This insurance also would pay for IUI if we decide to get it. The only thing that isn’t paid for through our insurance is IVF and any infertility drugs that may be needed so this is definitely a big deal.
What’s interesting about this is the fact that I’ve been constantly praying and talking to God about how to make my doula business work all while keeping my corporate job. In my mind I felt like we could not do without my income and the insurance that’s provided through this company. Oh, one more thing, we don’t pay ANYTHING out of pocket for this insurance! Not for me, my husband or my daughter. The costs are fully covered by the company. This is probably the best insurance in the world.
Anyway, my husband and I talked about it and prayed on it some more and we decided that I would not go back into corporate work but instead would pursue my career as a doula on a full time basis. The thought was exciting and scary at the same time. I am passionate about being a doula and as much as I LIKE my job, I know that my passion isn’t in the work that I currently do. I’ve always wanted to do something that I love…not just something that provides a steady income. I think I got what I asked for…
Another aspect of this is the fact that I would have a lot more freedom as a doula. Of course there would be days where I would be gone for 24 hours or more straight, but then there would also be periods of time where I would be free. We wanted this type of freedom for when we do finally become pregnant and although it hasn’t happened yet, we’re believing that it will.
This is all so new and scary so I’ll continue to update everyone as we figure things out. One thing we do know is that we still want another baby. Regardless of whether or not we know exactly how things will work out losing my current income and the insurance we have, we KNOW that we want to continue to try. We will continue to pray and trust God through this season. We must have faith.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
Kristen D. Johnson
