“Should I stay or should I go?”
These words, sung by the punk rock group The Clash, kept echoing through my mind this week. I’m no fan of punk rock, but these lyrics fit the dilemma I faced perfectly.
Over the last few months I’d become disillusioned with my job at Occupational Health. It was a different type of medicine then I’d done before and I found myself increasingly stressed and anxious. I’d decided to look for something else and about 1-½ weeks ago I finally got a good offer from a local family practice group.
I should have been ecstatic, but I found myself torn. Things had improved at Occupational Health. I’d grown comfortable there and I really enjoyed working with the wonderful staff each day. Thus my dilemma. “Should I stay or should I go?”
So often in life we each face this question, in one form or another. “Should I stay at this job or move on?” “Should I stick it out with this relationship or call it quits?” “Should I stay in school or find a job?” It can be hard to know what to do, especially when the options are equally good (or bad).
In Jeremiah 29 the Israelite exiles faced this question. They were chafing under Babylon’s rule, longing to return to their homeland, but God told them instead to “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (vs. 5, 7).
God was telling them to stay where they were, which was the last thing they wanted to hear. God sought to ease their disappointment by adding this wonderful reassurance in verse 11, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In other words, He was saying, “Trust me! I know what I’m doing.”
In my case, I decided to do just that. to trust God’s plans are the best. After talking with Ana and doing a lot of praying, I knew the right thing to do was to stay at Occupational Health. I decided to follow God’s advice to “seek the peace and prosperity” of the place God has put me to work, to “pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, [ I ] too will prosper.” I can hardly wait to see what He has planned!
You too may be facing a dilemma right now, asking yourself, “Should I stay or should I go?” If so, take it to the Lord in prayer. He promises to “instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” (Proverbs 4:11).
You may not always understand why God leads one way or another, but still “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him…” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Trust Him always – even if He tells you to “stay” when you’d much rather “go”!