Trusting God with Life's Transitions by Kimberly De Jong
My journey to stronger faith began at age 63 when life presented two simultaneous challenges: the loss of my pre-retirement job and a brain tumor diagnosis.
Until then, I had never faced such intense tests of my faith, let alone two at once. Through these trials, I discovered what it truly means to trust God. I leaned on His strength, not just surviving but emerging blessed. Defeat simply wasn’t an option.
The following devotion reflects part of that journey:
ACCEPTING GOD’S PLAN FOR MY RETIREMENT
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
- James 1:2-4
It was a Saturday afternoon in August 2019. My daughter and I went to lunch. It was the last full day of her family’s visit. We walked into Panera Bread and were immediately met with the inviting smell of freshly baked bread. We ordered our salads and took a seat at a table.
Our discussion soon turned to when I would retire. I was sixty-three, so the time was getting closer. “I think I will work a few more years. It’s nice working part-time for now. My job doesn’t require me to get on the freeway. After my last job, when I fought traffic to get home each day, this is a relaxing change,” I told her.
But on Monday, when I returned to work, I was surprised. The partners had eliminated my five-month job. I agreed that it was the right thing for their business, but suddenly, I was on my last day of work, finishing the loose ends.
On Tuesday, I gave myself time to grieve the loss of my job before I started looking for a new one on Wednesday. I was learning perseverance. Did I want to look for a new job at sixty-three years old? Not really.
However, God turned everything around. A few days before that third interview, I had an MRI and a second one with contrast. My doctor called me to say I had a mass in my head that would require surgery to remove it.
After hearing about my upcoming surgery, I went to my interview and told the board I could be off for several weeks. I did not have my surgery date. I told them they would need to decide if they wanted to hire someone who could be off for surgery for several weeks or longer.
God was building up my perseverance to face a more challenging road ahead. At that time, a job was not a necessity. I would receive unemployment for a while. But I still needed to look for a job, per the unemployment office. I found it challenging to seek a job, when I knew I would need to be off work soon for surgery. Fortunately, even though I continued to apply for jobs each week, I received no more calls to come in for an interview until the afternoon before my surgery. I was then able to tell him the truth about my availability.
I spent the next two months attending doctor appointments, doing lab work, and talking to my anesthesiologist. It was a long time to wait. However, my surgery was in South Sacramento, and most of my appointments were there. So, going to see a doctor took about half my day.
Trusting God through this next transition in my life became my priority. I accepted the surgery and the possibility of losing my hearing in my left ear. I could manage that. I ended up facing trials of many kinds. When my surgery was completed, my trials continued. But God kept watch over me. I persevered through those trials. My faith grew stronger every day. I learned that God would be with me in all the twists and turns ahead.
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for keeping me healthy. Help me trust You when something goes wrong with my health and those of others I love. Please listen to my prayers and answer them in the best way for me, yet in keeping with Your plans for my life. I pray my faith will be so strong that others will praise You for it. Amen.
Thoughts to consider
1. Have you or a family member ever lost a job without warning? What effects did that have on your life in the future?
2. Do you believe God never leaves you with unexpected changes in your life? Can you feel His presence?
3. Do you thank God for your job if you have one? If you are looking for a job, ask God to lead you to the right one. Can you trust Him in a job loss?
Trusting God Through Life’s Transitions speaks to women navigating life’s unexpected turns. Drawing from conversations with over thirty women across thirteen states and Canada, these ninety devotions share stories of both challenge and triumph. Within the pages of this book, you will meet women who have faced breast cancer, autoimmune disease, and one who had a heart transplant. Others have experienced the loss of a preborn baby, a husband, adult children, and the heartbreak of suicide. Yet you will also read stories of joy: relocating closer to family, finding love again in a second marriage, spending time with grandchildren, and discovering new passions.
My writing journey began in high school, nurtured by an encouraging English teacher. After high school, I took every writing class I could at the local junior college. I wrote devotions and human interest articles in Christian magazines while raising my children. As my children's lives became busier, I followed them in their baseball, volleyball, and basketball games, including summer travel teams causing me to put my writing on pause. As I approached retirement, I started a blog and began focusing on books. I joined Hope*Writers and learned as much as possible about the craft of writing and publishing.
Trusting God Through Life’s Transitions was an idea I had thought about since I knew so many Christian women who had gone through extraordinary experiences in their lives. I set out to have conversations with these women and ask them if I could share their stories along with some of mine.
Each devotion in this book includes a verse and three questions for relection, helping readers apply these experiences to their lives. The book concludes with a special section: six pages dedicated to listing the reader’s prayers for friends, family, and others. These can also be dated and then marked as answered.
What makes this book special is its reminder that no woman walks alone in her struggles. These authentic stories allow readers to witness how faith can transform life’s most significant challenges into an unexpected blessing. These women’s testimonies of tears, triumph, and unwavering trust in God show how He can turn life’s transitions into the most meaningful time of your life.
About Kimberly:
As a Christian wife and mother of two, I’m blessed with six precious grandchildren. My husband and I are approaching our 50th wedding anniversary in 2026 - a milestone that holds special significance as neither of our parents reached this event due to loss.
We live in central California, in a small city of under 18,000. I enjoy quilting, creating over 100 quilts, primarily as gifts and charitable donations. We love to travel and have many wonderful memories of times spent with our family camping and timesharing, and just the two of us traveling throughout the United States.
Connections:
Website: kimberlyadejong.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyannedejong/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.dejong.927/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GrowingOlderEveryday/
Purchase the book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iRJRh4B/
