The Note I Kept For Over A Year

Laundry on the line, bobbing in the breeze. A pair of worn-out work boots requiring aeration.  A saucer of milk for the cat.

When I think of “sticking things out,” these are some of the things that immediately spring to mind.

But in the more idiomatic definition, it’s defined as “continuing to do something until its end.”

Back in December 2023, I was volunteering at a Christmas camp and found myself in a conversation with a friend. She shared about her husband’s job at a company comprised largely of nonbelievers, who could tell that there was something different about him.

It wasn’t an easy situation from what she explained. But she also noted that God was evident through it all and that their whole family was learning about being Christ’s ambassadors even in unlikely places.

She continued, “There’s a lot to be learned from sticking things out.”

At the time, I was working an office job I never saw myself having, in a field completely unrelated to my interests. I was struggling to find meaning and purpose in my day-to-day life. And I was ready to move on, though God hadn’t been leading me in that direction.

As soon as the conversation ended, I jotted down that phrase. Through this friend, God reignited a spark in my soul, reminding me that this season, too, would not be wasted. That He was here, He was sovereign, and He knew what He was doing having me at this job.

And so I stayed.

Too often, I look for the easy way out—the quick fix, the microwave popcorn, the exit sign when relationships get tricky. But, as Emily wrote in her essay last week, the very best things in life are the ones that take time and effort—taking the time to do the job right, matcha crème brûlée, or sitting through the uncomfortable conversation to restore a relationship.

The right place to be is right where you are. God won’t leave you in places you’re not meant to be. And He won’t waste a second of your struggle or suffering. He is The Redeemer. The Rescuer. The Sustainer. The Glory and Lifter of our heads.

When I eventually returned to work, I wrote the quote down on a sticky note and kept it in my agenda as a reminder. A mini pep-talk to remind me that this, too, was not in vain. I looked at it daily for over a year.

I’m not sure when it disappeared into the bowels of my desk, but as I was cleaning to make space for the girl who will replace me at the end of the month, I found it again.

The note had new meaning as I found myself standing on the other side of the prayers Lars and I were praying for a new job for me. Because I had learned a lot from sticking things out. I’d grown in my relationships with coworkers. I’d laughed, cried, and sometimes gotten frustrated. And I’d seen that God’s faithfulness didn’t only extend to situations I liked or chose for myself—it existed in the spaces I didn’t want or even understand.

Maybe you find yourself in a place like I was when my friend Jodi shared her wisdom with me. Maybe you, too, feel ready to move on to the next thing and God is gently telling you no. If so, please hear this: God’s faithfulness doesn’t end here. His mercy is still new every morning. And it won’t be this way forever, because one day, everything will be set to rights and we will see Jesus face to face.

So let’s stick this one out.