3 Things I Realized after God redirected my life

It’s been a while, I know. I’ve been MIA here on this web space because my life totally went on a different turn. For the past 22 years, I have always stayed under my parents’ roof – sheltered from all the evilness of the world. But that changed during the last quarter of last year.

After ticking my life goal of passing the licensure exams for chemical engineering, just like any newly licensed professional would do, I patiently browsed online sites for job openings. And of course, I went straight for jobs in Cebu area so that I could stay with my family and friends. I wanted to get into this specific company but the response I got was not something I expected. They weren’t looking for an engineer, they were looking for a chemist. They advised me to send in my resume still but I didn’t because I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. I lost count of the times when I had to explain to an unaware audience the difference between a chemist and a chemical engineer. I guess all chemical engineers could relate to this. And no, for the last time, chemical engineers are not chemists. These two professions might be grounded on similar chemical principles but each plays a different role in the industry. And you could already guess what happens next, the majority of the job openings were meant for Chemists and not chemical engineers. I searched high and low but only ended up with more research and laboratory jobs. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against these jobs. I believe that each profession has its own contribution to technology development. I just wanted an engineering role perhaps. And so months went by and I went back to my old ways of K-drama and back to my bed cave.

I just faced so many closed doors that I was determined to give up all my efforts and just start again next year. But my God apparently has different plans for me. Those closed doors were His way of redirecting my path to the open door He prepared. I got the engineering role I wanted but not just where I hoped it would be. And so, I packed my stuff – and by stuff, I mean a lot of things – and flew to an island I don’t have connections with.

I was entirely outside my comfort zone. I am conversing in a language I wasn’t comfortable with. I was interacting with people I am not close with. There were a lot of awkward firsts but I learned to trust His process and enjoy this new adventure. Let me tell you – this all sounds exciting and fun but it wasn’t a walk in the park. Almost 3 months after this plot twist in my life, here are my three takeaways:

1. You are never alone.

At the beginning of this new adventure, I felt completely alone. I kept to myself most of the times because I didn’t let people in. I kept my walls way up high with the fear that when I let them in, I’ll be judged and feel isolated even more. But I guess that’s where the beauty of being away from your own circle begins. Even if you’re an introvert, it is part and parcel of your humanity to be a social being. Whether you like it or not, you will crave for social interactions. I guess for me, knowing and meeting engineers from my age group helped me go up my own walls and not be alone anymore. I wasn’t really the type of person to make the first move of making new friends. But I became that type of person when I moved here. I realized there’s really nothing wrong with making the first step towards an amazing friendship. At the very worst, it would just be awkward but at its best, you’ll gain a new friend. I couldn’t imagine my life right now if I hadn’t put a smile and applied a positive mentality. I met amazing people here who are somewhat like me – nomads in the game of adulting. Want to know how I entered into this amazing friendship? It’s simple.  Don’t let the thought that they might not like you consume you. Every person has a good side and it takes another good person to see that. Just like any human interaction, friendship is a two-way street. People come into your life because they’re supposed to play a role in it. So if you’ll meet a person not willing to be your friend, then don’t force it. He’s simply not meant to play a part in your life.

Another life hack I could share in overcoming the feeling of loneliness is to pray. Pray even if it’s awkward, even if it’s difficult, and even if it doesn’t make sense. When I was alone in my room, I became more aware of the emptiness around me and it made me feel lonely. But once you recognize that you’re never alone, you appreciate His presence even more. You become more reflective and so this is the time when you converse more with your Creator through prayer. It felt awkward for me at first, talking to a Being I couldn’t see. But over time, it felt more natural and even if I was in my room alone, I felt His presence and that gave me comfort at lengths I couldn’t imagine.

2. Growth begins outside your comfort zone.

This goes without saying. But I only realized it when I was actually outside my own comfort zone. Growth can sometimes be painful because you’ll be stripped off of everything that gives you were used to having. Once you come to terms with this, you’ll realize that growth can only happen when you’re in a new place. You couldn’t grow in the same soil all throughout your life. Sometimes, God puts us in soils we couldn’t imagine ourselves to be in but just like any other Christian, we are called to grow and bloom where we’re planted. Never have I imagined moving outside my parents’ house but I guess that’s the beauty of it. You can grow old but you have the choice to grow up. And now that I am choosing to grow up, I couldn’t grow in the same soil with the same nutrients. I have already outgrown that. In a way, I could say I have already taken in all that there is in that soil. It’s time to get new nutrients. I am still in that awkward phase of learning things but I calm myself by thinking that I am not the only awkward person here.

I am not the only one growing up. And being with people at the same stage as you are the icing on this experience. We all have our own timelines but it doesn’t hurt being with the people that will laugh and cry with you at times of successes and failures.

3. There’s a lot of things to be afraid of that you just have to remember one thing.

Wherever you go, wherever your heart will take you, you’ll always have a home to go too – and that’s your family. I have always been a family-first-kind-of-person but that quality of mine got tested when I moved. I guess it’s always easy to stay in touch when you’re all staying in the same room. But it’s an entirely different story when you’re all in different parts of the country. And that is still a challenge for me. But just like what my parents have always taught me, I’ll always have a home with them. I might be pursuing my own dreams in a different part of the world, but even from afar, they’ll always be the wind beneath my wings. My family would always be my fuel to keep on this journey towards self-discovery and growth. And so when you see yourself at a point of disappointment and frustration, there’s nothing wrong with going home and taking time to go back to your roots. Sometimes we’re not really lost. We just wandered to a place we weren’t supposed to be in. So, one way to get past that is to go back to our roots and retrace our paths again. After all, God closes doors not because you don’t deserve it but because you deserve something better, something bigger.

So if you’re in a point where you’re confused if you’ll make the big move, this is your sign right here: Go and let this new adventure teach you a thing or two about yourself. Don’t let the chains of anxiety keep you from spreading your wings. Just like what my high school adviser said, cross the bridge when you get there. There’s nothing wrong with planning ahead but when God redirects your steps, let Him. You’ll never know the amazing adventure that awaits you until you take that step outside your comfort zone.