…To my disbelief, the pros outweighed the cons. I mysteriously thought the cons would outweigh the pros being that the biggest con was the $30,000- pay cut. After I completed my list (on the 6th day), I prayed over it and asked God to give me peace with going on this journey. I sent the email to Human Resources saying, “I accept the offer,” on the 7th day.
[Excerpt from my blog “I Gave God a $30,000 Offering”]
Moved.
Bought a house.
Settled in.
Prepared for the birth of my second child...
All minus $30,000 and working for the woman who brought me to tears on a conference call just months before.
I walked into my new job, in the exact same job position, feeling like I had just gone back 5 years in my career. I had my strategy though. My plan was to do my job with no complaints. Regardless, of what my new boss said months ago about me not being able to get a promotion within the first year, my mindset was simply to display my work ethic. I would exhibit my hustle leaving her with no choice but to promote me back up the ranks. I undoubtedly knew that once she saw that I was a hard worker, she would instantly feel regretful about offering me the same job at the reduced salary.
In my heart I felt all I had to do was hustle harder, do more, and say yes to the projects and tasks my boss asked me to do. For the first time in my career, I was working at home, pulling all-nighters, and missing out on spending time with my family. I even took over projects above my pay grade in hopes of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. However, even with this, the promises, the agreements, and assurances all consistently went out the window when it was time for her to deliver what she guaranteed… my promotion.
For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.
Psalm 75:6-7
It wasn’t until one day after a closed-door meeting with her (yet again) that it hit me. I was praying to God but I was giving my boss the power. I had been working to please her and to do whatever it took for her to determine I was worthy of a promotion and, in this, I gave her more authority than I gave God. I allowed her decisions, actions, and attitude to sway my faith, beliefs, and confidence. When things started getting out of whack, when my boss and I were having strife, and when I was told “not yet” at the end of each project, I started neglecting my prayer time and was getting angry at God. However, when things were going well, I gave my boss all the praise.
In that season of selfishly striving, I may have been working for myself but God was faithful to continue to work in me, and undoubtedly in my situation. In less than a year, I received my first promotion. In less than 3 years, I had surpassed where I was before I moved from DC. However, climbing back up the corporate ladder was a journey that taught me the true meaning of Psalm 75:6-7.
Until then, I never felt like I had to fully rely on God. I knew who God was and that His provision was the reason I had everything in life. However, I have always worked and hustled to the point that I took most of the credit for my accomplishments. When the biggest blessings would come, I would give Him credit without hesitation. However, I removed Him from the day to day and never doubted that things would come together simply because I had a heart of hustle that came with a mindset of making it happen by any means necessary.
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
Isaiah 29:13
What changed as I worked my way back up the corporate ladder was my attitude, my willingness to work for God, and, most importantly, my definition of hustle. My heart of hustle wasn’t in the right posture. Moreover, my current hustle was burning me out and stressing me out. I was putting all the pressure, responsibility, and results on me to perform and get it done. I was doing it all in my own strength and not fully relying on God to accomplish His work through me. As I began to look back over this journey, I started to notice how God messed up my plans to get me to purpose.
… I applied and applied for almost every job that was posted within my agency that was anywhere in and around Mississippi. None landed me a job back in the south.
[Excerpt from my blog “I Gave God a $30,000 Offering”]
Had I gotten one of the previous jobs I applied for, to move back south, I would have given myself the credit. Had I been able to negotiate my salary before the move, I would have given myself the credit. Had my boss instantly promoted me back to the pay that I was making before moving as she had the ability to do, instead of her making me go step by step, I would have given my hustle the credit. However, due to my inability to control situations and make things happen, I gave up. It was at this point that I had no choice but to stop my "hustle" of selfishly striving to make it happen and start consulting with the master, who had full control and dominion.
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
Psalm 127: 1-2
I made this test about my boss and, instead of focusing on what God was trying to do with me, I lost me. I wanted God to promote me but He wanted to perfect me, which ultimately led to me surrendering my desires. I also surrendered my heart and my hustle. This changed how I viewed my situation. I learned lessons. I acquired skills. I met people. I grew. Most importantly, I went from being an achiever (working in my own strength) to a believer (trusting that God could and would do it).
After I changed my perspective and stopped selfishly striving, I received the ultimate promotion that pushed me pass my DC pay. In addition, a month later, I was reassigned to a new and bigger team. It was a position I totally did not see coming and that I was highly recommended for, by my boss’ boss. I had no idea he was watching my work ethic, my hustle, and the way I handled myself throughout this entire situation, which is why he choose me for the position. I would be taking away the opportunity to give God His deserved glory if I didn’t honestly admit that EVERYTHING I learned in that season helps me TREMENDOUSLY in my new job, and in life!! It was also during that season that I stepped into purpose and birth Biblically Led Cornbread Fed.
"The master said, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'
Matthew 25:23