I have one less big mistake to make in life.

After praying too little and worrying too much I marched nobly forth and took a job to help fill a few gaps in the family budget.

Perhaps the problem wasn’t as much the job as my choice of job.

In the tradition of my mother, who has been a model of care-giving right into her nineties, and two sisters, both gifted with similarly nurturing spirits, I took a relief job that involved caring for other human beings. In 24 hour shifts.

Not far into my training shift, the Holy Spirit began nudging (elbowing!) me, reminding of a few important facts of my life.

First, as I have for a dozen years or more, I already write full-time, taking a few speaking engagements on the side. I’ve also made commitments to publishers, who prefer their writers to keep them.

Second, after two moves and a major lifestyle upheaval in the past two years, my physical and emotional reserves are still in the re-building stage. A care-giving job likely wouldn’t contribute to that.

Third, since I’m often too preoccupied to recall if I’ve taken my own pills, it would be foolish and dangerous to accept responsibility for dispensing them to others.

Fourth (I don’t know how I ignored this glaring reality), I’m not my mother. Nor my sisters. God has used their compassionate, giving and gifted natures in his own way. He chose something else for me.

Fifth and most important: above my racing heart, overwhelmed by the outlining of tasks I knew outside my current capability, I seemed to hear a sweet whisper:

“Kathleen, have I ever proved myself unworthy of your trust in me?”

I knew that voice. So I quit.

I also called my sister, cried on her caring shoulder, then got on with life.

In Christian circles we call what I did “running ahead of God.” Most Christ-followers have done this—a crisis comes, and rather than trust our Heavenly Father, we begin dashing about like a fox-addled rabbit in a meadow.

As our life-director, God will always lead us to decisions both wise and productive. Ignoring his Holy Spirit’s cautions leads only to exactly what happened to me—involving others in regretful ways.

When I arrived home from my failed attempt at rescuing my corner of the world, I pulled up into the driveway of Hope House (we call our home that) and noticed some boxes stacked in front of the garage door.

Inside, I found copies of my latest book, a compilation of the first year of Sunny Side Up columns. God’s timing—and his humour—didn’t escape me: new books always generate their own work, spin-off speaking, and article-writing assignments.

I’m glad God is more patient with me than I am with him.

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The Preacher and I will launch Practice by Practice, The art of everyday faith, on April 22, at the Yorkton Public Library, at 7 p.m. That’s in Saskatchewan, for my readers who live nowhere near…wish you could all join us.