Spotlight: Greg Pickens
Trusting God.
Anyone who knows me, knows, I am a worker. I was raised to be a hard worker. To show up and work each day and to be on time. For every job I have held I have always found myself moving to the top in a management role. For over twenty years I have had 2 jobs that I held the same fields. I was either a Production Manager or a Maintenance Manager. These were jobs that most people would like to have. Good money and good benefits and paid time off.
Over the last five years, and especially during Covid I was drained. I worked ALL the time. If you have been there or are there, YOU KNOW! Well, right before Covid I got this idea to take classes in Real Estate and become a Real Estate Agent. As I started the classes, here comes Covid and more hours at work with less employees and working weekends left me drained and not getting my classes done.
Last Fall, I went for a walk and talked to God. This was one of those talks where I was truly seeking him, not just an answer but seeking his presence. I told him what I wanted the most was to find a way out of that job. I walked and talked with God and I heard him say, “TRUST ME”! For the first time, I had peace and a calm that I can’t really explain. I came home from that walk and told my wife. God told me to TRUST HIM and I’m going to do just that.
On November 25th of last year, I walked away from everything I knew for over twenty years and started something new. One of my friends was starting his own business in Parking Lot Maintenance. I can’t tell you I ever saw this for myself but something had to change! While working this new job God showed us something. He showed us that the real plan was not for me to go work with my friend but to TRUST HIM in everything, to take a break, to not work for a short while and finish what I started in Real Estate. Trusting him had gotten me this far so I walked away from that job as well. The first blessing that happened was God showed up in our finances. The TRUST in this was, how are we going to pay for our bills. I didn’t have the answer to that question but knew I was doing what God told me to do.
In January my wife got a bonus at work that neither of us knew was coming. It was the right amount to split up and put on top of her income each month to get everything paid and buy the time for me to study. After three months I had completed my classes and was as prepared as I could possibly be to sit for my exams. This made me really nervous. I have test anxiety anyway and there is a lot riding on this. Everyone knew I wasn’t working. I was at home studying every day. What if I fail???What will people think?
Well, I knew the sound of that voice and where it was coming from. All I had to do was look back on GOD’s provision over the last few months to get that feeling of peace all over aging. There was no failure in the story. I wasn’t ABOUT me, I wasn’t leading, it I was about FOLLOWING and TRUSTING God. I went and took my exams and passed both of them on the first try. I will look back on this for the rest of my life. When we put our trust in God we have to give him ALL of our trust. When we trust BIG he shows up BIG.
Greg Pickens
Anyone who knows me, knows, I am a worker. I was raised to be a hard worker. To show up and work each day and to be on time. For every job I have held I have always found myself moving to the top in a management role. For over twenty years I have had 2 jobs that I held the same fields. I was either a Production Manager or a Maintenance Manager. These were jobs that most people would like to have. Good money and good benefits and paid time off.
Over the last five years, and especially during Covid I was drained. I worked ALL the time. If you have been there or are there, YOU KNOW! Well, right before Covid I got this idea to take classes in Real Estate and become a Real Estate Agent. As I started the classes, here comes Covid and more hours at work with less employees and working weekends left me drained and not getting my classes done.
Last Fall, I went for a walk and talked to God. This was one of those talks where I was truly seeking him, not just an answer but seeking his presence. I told him what I wanted the most was to find a way out of that job. I walked and talked with God and I heard him say, “TRUST ME”! For the first time, I had peace and a calm that I can’t really explain. I came home from that walk and told my wife. God told me to TRUST HIM and I’m going to do just that.
On November 25th of last year, I walked away from everything I knew for over twenty years and started something new. One of my friends was starting his own business in Parking Lot Maintenance. I can’t tell you I ever saw this for myself but something had to change! While working this new job God showed us something. He showed us that the real plan was not for me to go work with my friend but to TRUST HIM in everything, to take a break, to not work for a short while and finish what I started in Real Estate. Trusting him had gotten me this far so I walked away from that job as well. The first blessing that happened was God showed up in our finances. The TRUST in this was, how are we going to pay for our bills. I didn’t have the answer to that question but knew I was doing what God told me to do.
In January my wife got a bonus at work that neither of us knew was coming. It was the right amount to split up and put on top of her income each month to get everything paid and buy the time for me to study. After three months I had completed my classes and was as prepared as I could possibly be to sit for my exams. This made me really nervous. I have test anxiety anyway and there is a lot riding on this. Everyone knew I wasn’t working. I was at home studying every day. What if I fail???What will people think?
Well, I knew the sound of that voice and where it was coming from. All I had to do was look back on GOD’s provision over the last few months to get that feeling of peace all over aging. There was no failure in the story. I wasn’t ABOUT me, I wasn’t leading, it I was about FOLLOWING and TRUSTING God. I went and took my exams and passed both of them on the first try. I will look back on this for the rest of my life. When we put our trust in God we have to give him ALL of our trust. When we trust BIG he shows up BIG.
Greg Pickens
