Retirement

Well March 17th was officially my last day to work for Walmart. It was a bitter sweet day!

I was blessed to have worked for the largest retailer in the world and do something that I LOVE to do, training and development. I know that Walmart gets a bad rap, however I can honestly tell you there is no where else in the world that I would have been given the opportunities that I had at Walmart. I never really talked about what I did for Walmart with non-associates (people who don't work for Walmart); not because I didn't love it - just because everyone outside of NWA always thought I worked in a store. Sometimes it was easier to go along instead of trying to explain what I really did.  It is hard to sum up 19 years, however here it is in a nut shell.....I started as a young country girl from LA (Lower Arkansas) and ended working with some of the top executives of the organization. WOW, it is still hard to believe the privileges I have been given, the things I have seen, and the things I have learned. I knew I would be there until I was old and retired - well that is what I get for making my own plans. God had different plans in place for me.

Sometimes when God open doors they are slow and take time to see the bigger picture - then there are times that it happens in a flash. God did a work in my family through this process and that is what I really want to share.

My story starts with an AMAZING women, Janet Pate. Many of you may have seen my Facebook post about my friend Janet and her battle with cancer. She was a joy and an inspiration. Janet lost her battle with cancer on December 26, 2013. The battle may have been lost on earth, yet she has GREAT victory in heaven. Janet was the assistant to our Youth Pastor at First Baptist Church Bentonville. Our family adored her and all that she did for the youth.

In late summer of 2013 there were plans for a 2014 summer youth trip to Quito Ecuador. I was privileged to be asked, along with three other great ladies, to help the fundraising process for Ecuador. Janet was the lead, however wanted some help. As summer started to turn into fall Janet's health was declining and I began to volunteer and take on some of the work on Thursday and Fridays (I only worked 3 days a week for Walmart). It was never meant to be permanent and only until the Ecuador fundraising was over or Janet's health got better. I loved being up there yet knew this was not my line of work - I am the thinker the big picture person and I have others do the details. This was a very detailed role with many moving parts. I was looking forward to turning back over everything to Janet. During the Thanksgiving holidays we found out Janet was not getting better, and the day after Christmas she went to be with the Lord. I continued to help and to try to take the burden of work off the grieving hearts at church. Still knowing this was only for a brief time, and after some time they would possibly hire someone for the position. NO ONE can ever take Janet's place or touch lives the way she did, and I knew whoever took this position would have some big shoes to fill.

A couple months went by - during this time I had been singing/praying one of my favorite songs, "Oceans" by Hillsong. Some of the lyrics that I had been singing/praying are below:
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Then like a flash of light things started to happen.... All I can say is WOW and be careful what you pray for - you may get it!

Within a one week span I knew my job at Walmart was being restructured, that the position at the church was being filled, and that I was taking the position at the church. Talk about a whirlwind!
I know that makes it sound like it was all simple and smooth - well yes and no.

I always get a little laugh when I look back and see the way God is stitching things together. You may not see them and their connection in the beginning, however He will reveal His plan in time. For example; Kailey had been preparing for college (I know that is a whole other blog that involves lots of tissue) and has been a little stressed about scholarships and how college is going to be paid. We have had many late night discussions about trusting in the Lord, and knowing that He has good plans for  those who follow Him. Even more conversations about being obedient to where He is calling her to go to college, what to major in, and even becoming a Godly role model. Well little did I know I was going to have to take my own advise. I even admitted to Kailey that it is much harder to practice what you preach. When I was faced with some of those same fears it was hard to focus on all of the right things that you know are true of God's word.

I knew that if God was asking me to do this I had to be obedient no matter what - no matter pay, no matter if details were not my forte, and no matter how scared I was.  Even though I was scared of leaving what I knew and loved - I had TOTAL FAITH that if I was obedient God would reward me (I also knew rewards do not always = money). My reward was much greater than money, it was the faith of my family being expanded.

Lane and the kids got to see first hand the rewards in being obedient to His calling. We were all in awe at what God had orchestrated. They saw first hand how God can show up and show out if you follow His plan (not your own).