I am between careers…again.
For the second time in my life, I find myself exiting a career that has spanned a decade or more and wondering what I am going to do next. The task of recreating myself and finding a new home for employment is daunting, and there are honestly days when I don’t feel up to the task. Even under the best of circumstances, which this move was (we sold our successful business), there is a fear of the unknown that comes with the gap between adventures.
Why can’t my transitions be seamless? I’ve asked God this question too many times. Wouldn’t it be nice to simply move from one challenge to the next with a complete plan in front of me to get from A to Z? Sounds nice. It has never worked for me that way.
Yet, I have found that the space between is often where I hear God most clearly.
Rewind to 2015. I had just lost my pastoral career to burnout, which was not the time or the manner in which I ever expected to leave the ministry. I was unemployed, without marketable skills, and had no plan. It was one of the darkest seasons of my life, and I found myself having to navigate the dry wasteland of depression and a complete identity crisis.
Enter God.
In that space, that void between worlds, my relationship with God took some profound turns. I learned to relate to Him in ways I’d never expected. I discovered that the ‘taking away’ of my ministry was actually an act of love on His part that I needed to unpack. It was also in that season that I wrote my first novel, The Chase, and discovered a love for writing fiction. Consequently, it is no surprise that the novel ended up being about a young man struggling with the expectations placed on him and the emotional burden of not being allowed to fail.
Writing was such a gift from God in that season. Now, I’m on the verge of publishing my sixth work with a seventh coming out next year. What an amazing turn of events that may never have come to be had I stayed in my career!
So…what now? I’m in the ‘gap’ again, so to speak.
I’m listening. I’m trying to be patient. I firmly believe that there are no accidents in God’s providence, and there will be a spiritual formation that will take place during this season. My life is literally open to pursue any career path I want, and I’m in a position not to rush. So I will wait and keep my ear to the ground for God’s movement.
Friend, there are a lot of ‘gaps’ that happen in our life. They can be career gaps like mine. They may be relational gaps where you are in a season with few friends or allies. They may be financial gaps where means are scarce. Perhaps you are in a health gap, where your body is simply not cooperating.
Listen. Really listen.
When God brings everything around you to a grinding halt, it is not because He doesn’t have a plan. The halt IS the plan. For whatever reason, God wanted you to put your plans, your desires, and even your good intentions on pause.
Take the time to find out why, friend. You won’t regret it.
Bradley Caffee discovered his love for storytelling during his twelve years of speaking and teaching as a pastor. He graduated at the top of his class in 2000 from the Moody Bible Institute before going on to complete his M.A. at Dallas Theological Seminary, ultimately pastoring churches in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Orlando, Florida. When vocational ministry ended in pastoral burnout, writing became a critical outlet for Bradley during his recovery, which resulted in the birth of his debut novel series.
Bradley and his wife now own and run several business enterprises. In the quieter moments, he enjoys losing himself in reading and writing fiction, especially YA dystopian, where he enjoys showing that hope can invade darkness. He is a stock-holding fan of the Green Bay Packers, a regular at the local gym, a complete Star Wars geek, and an avid board game player. He lives with his wife of 25 years in North Carolina with their two dogs, Gabby and Ellie and has two adult children in college.
It only took three years for the virus to exterminate ninety percent of the world’s population.
In a world decimated by the lethal virus, Jimmy Hunter is a scavenger. Using his skills as a drone pilot, he searches his nearly vacant city for tradable goods to help him and his two friends, Elena and Wyatt, survive each day. With criminals and violent militia roaming the streets, each trip away from the hideout is fraught with peril.
When his drone veers off-course, Jimmy discovers lost information about underground bunkers where civilization and resources are being preserved–kept secret by a group known as the Keepers. Knowledge is dangerous in his world, especially with the leader of the Brotherhood, Mr. Quinn, out to claim any resources as his own and lock down his iron grip on the city.
With the Brotherhood on his heels and the pressure to provide for his companions, can Jimmy uncover the truth about the bunkers? Or now that he’s become a Keeper, will he surrender his knowledge to save the lives of his friends?
Edward Arrington