Going for the uncertain but being hopeful for the best.
Just realized, with extreme amazement my family (soon with the mum and daughter) will now be living in a different country. Settled in a new apartment, and soon, to be part of the working class. Yes folks, an entirely different environment because I have migrated. And we are thankful and very happy.
Getting here was never easy. We made sacrifices like letting go of our excellent careers, say goodbye to wonderful work peers, and most of all being away from my daughter (hardest). But we have always believed things will get better. We have that one aim and stuck to it — the best for our family. Now, that we have “normalized”, I guess I will always be in awe with the hand at work because it was just not in the plan, and with the discussions with my wife, migrating was something we have never even imagined before. So why bother?
- Like most decisions in life, we always want the best (or advantageous) for ourselves — our families. It’s only right to want more, this is the fuel of ingenuity and labor (hard work!). For the most decisions, we do well, but when you make mistakes, you either turn out better by learning or know the value of moving on (yes, we lose more than we care to count). But has instigated uncertainty in us, and for my 38 years, I tried to be meticulous and calculating. Because going for uncertainty is uncomfortable and irrational.
- Life changing choices are never easy. Period. It often requires nerves of steel. Can you let go of your comforts? Can you do the real hard work, make sacrifices of time or hard earned money? Sometimes the dream the end goal is not enough and simply the promise of getting something in return, and not in the immediacy is even ludicrous.
- We are uncomfortable in uncertainty, may it be unemployment, other circumstances like being in welfare, weeks of not having calls from employers or be horrified as you are witnessing your savings dwindling down to very low/dangerous levels. I admit, this ordeal is unnerving and terrifying.
What then mattered to me is trust. As in the Bible, Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Sacrifices can be perceived as tests. And perhaps we really are meant to let go of stuff to be able to accept new things. And if you pray enough, persevere, and adamant, you will find strength. Find inspiration through God, prayers from family and the help of friends, before I know it, the “difficult transition” surprisingly just passed.
It also matters to be with someone, for my case, I am blessed to be married with a partner that has that trust in God. In this day and age, it is hard to be alone, especially with the pressure of everyday life, those work load that can be heavy, I find solace in knowing that I am not alone. I have someone I can go to, to hold on to. To share my ideas and thoughts, and to pray in church on Sundays. With my wife, the difficult decisions, and the leap of faith to migrate became less daunting.
Everything dawned on me, and thought of writing to share that I too felt that feeling of absolute uncertainty. And that it’s wonderful to dream, work to have a stronger relationship with your spouse, find new work peers, and seek new opportunities. We must not be held down by the arduous task in front and just look forward to those new experiences.
I also came to the conclusion, that huge decisions in life, especially those that are perplexing, or you can never really plan for is never credited to ourselves (well, may be a little) but to the greater hand of God. That He always speaks to us, gives us comfort, strength and that it matters to “plan” with Him. Be silent, and have the real intention of listening. He has our backs and will throw your worries away.
Conclusion: Thankful firstly to God, and my wife for being with me throughout our journey, my daughter who I just knew at her young age now knows how to pray (that dad and mom will find a job), family who prays with us however apart we are and amazing friends both new and old who have helped us.
I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday church masses, and me being expectedly attending more humble and reliant to His plans. It’s comforting for some reason, that we just know that all we need is just do good, and hope for the best. And the best is definitely yet to come.
