WORK: Blending our Passions and Skills

It's exciting to use this prompt from The High Calling -- Your Work Matters to God -- to write this piece. My work definitely matters to God, because He has been the One writing the "job description" for it for years now.

I'll begin with when I became a mother 18 years ago. In a "Momma's Home" journal I wrote during that time on CelebratingChildren.com, I said:

"It certainly wasn’t an overflow of money that made the stay-at-home mom decision easy for me. The way I see it, it could only have been a deep faith that gave me confidence that this was just what I was supposed to do and that it would work out precisely as God had designed it to."

Once my son, Caleb, was in middle school, another role was added to my job description, one that started out as "Yoga Teacher" but was amended by God to "Stretch & Relax Teacher" five years later.

Back in 2005, I had quickly fallen in love with the mindful exercises of yoga and the way I could FEEL Jesus' presence on my mat during classes I attended.

My passion for this practice led me to a 200-hour yoga teacher training that opened up various exciting teaching opportunities for me, working in schools, wellness studios, and even a senior facility.

My passions and skills worked together so harmoniously when I worked on a part-time basis at the Christian-owned Life's Journey Wellness Center. There, I taught yoga classes and was the studio's writer, editor, and community liaison.


Until...

One day, as I sat on my couch pondering if I was going to commit to a 500-hour yoga teacher training program from a Christian perspective, I felt a nudge from God. The message: it was important to Him for me to continue sharing good-feeling exercises with the community, but I didn't need to do that under the "umbrella" of yoga.

I thought this feeling might pass. The next morning, it was still there. I needed help processing it, so I contacted Pastor Mike Shreve, a stranger to me at the time. Years ago, I had read about why he suddenly cancelled all of his yoga classes to hundreds of students at four universities in Tampa, Florida.

Pastor Shreve told me that while he couldn't tell me what to do, because that was God's job, he could help me sort through the process.

Not much later, I stopped teaching yoga and resigned from my other roles at the wellness center that were connected to it. And, that stopped my consistent paycheck. Still, I was at peace. I knew God must have had a plan. He did.

First, God sent the name "ZoeHygiea" (which means "Life & Health") to Coach Grayson Marshall to pass on to me for my new model of teaching that would include readings from "Jesus Calling" with the emphasis of exercising and relaxing in His Presence.

Classes began opening up for me in unexpected ways. With each new client came tremendous testimonies about results they were getting: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

"You are helping me to wake up to my own body," says a private client healing from two hip-replacement surgeries. He couldn't get down on the floor to stretch when we first began working together. Now, he can.

"I always feel better after you've been here," an Anglican priest healing from a stroke states to me. "His balance is better, his gait is better, and his confidence is through the roof," his wife explains.

Against the backdrop of a gorgeous river view, a refreshed participant at the Wednesday morning women's class I teach, exclaims, "This IS your calling!"

If you'd like to share how your work matters to God, please visit The High Calling.

**Here's my Part 2...