When my family and I moved to Houston in December 2020, I began praying for something that seemed fairly simple: I wanted a local job. But at the same time, I was grateful to keep my existing job and work remotely after our move. At the time, working from home was exactly what my family needed. It gave us stability during a major transition, and it allowed me to be present for my children.
But as the years passed, something began to change. I started missing the connection that comes from working alongside other people. I missed having co-workers nearby, being part of a local community, and simply having a place where I could interact with people face-to-face. So, I prayed about it.
In 2022, a local opportunity came along, and eventually I received a job offer. On paper, it seemed like an answer to my prayer for a local job. But I did not have peace about it. I wrestled with that, wondering why God would allow an opportunity to come if I was not supposed to take it. There were also practical reasons to stay where I was - family circumstances and financial considerations among them - but ultimately, I could not shake the feeling that I did not receive God’s peace and believed that He did not want me to move forward with this opportunity. So, I declined the offer.
That experience taught me something I would not fully understand until years later: not every open door is God’s answer simply because it resembles what we have been praying for. To me, faith means trusting God enough to walk away from an open door. And so, I continued working remotely.
Over the next several years, I had many conversations with God about my situation. Some were prayers. Some probably sounded more like questions. Why am I still working remotely? Why do I feel so isolated? Why do I have this desire to work with people again if You want me working from home?
And there was another struggle underneath all of this: mom guilt. Working remotely allowed me to be home. I could be there when my children came home from school. I had flexibility when they needed me. After experiencing that for several years, the idea of choosing to work in an office again brought conflicting emotions.
I missed having a professional life outside my home, but I also wondered whether wanting that was selfish. How could I be the mother I wanted to be while also pursuing something I felt I needed for myself?
There were practical questions too. Returning to an office had to make financial sense. It would mean commuting, changing our family’s routine, and giving up some of the flexibility I had grown accustomed to.
Slowly, my prayer became more specific. I was not asking God for just any job in Houston anymore. I was asking Him to make the pieces fit. If He wanted me back in an office, I needed Him to provide an opportunity that made sense for my career, my family, and our finances. I needed the timing to be right. And after what happened in 2022, I also knew something else:
I wanted His peace about the decision. For a long time, I could not imagine how all of those things could possibly align. But God could. While I was waiting, life was not standing still. My children were getting older. Our family’s needs were changing. I was growing professionally and being stretched in ways I did not always appreciate at the time.
Then, nearly six years after moving to Houston, another opportunity came. And this time, something was different. The opportunity would allow me to work locally and rebuild the human connection I had been missing. It offered professional growth. The finances aligned. My children were older. And instead of returning to an office five days a week, I would have a hybrid schedule - giving me the opportunity to be part of a team in person while still having days at home. The company culture suited me and vice versa.
The things I had been bringing before God for years began falling into place. But perhaps the biggest difference was this time, I had peace. Looking back, I realize God did not simply answer my prayer for a Houston job. God was answering my prayer in pieces. The answer was not one dramatic moment. It unfolded over years.
This experience has taught me that waiting does not mean God is not working. And an open door does not always mean we are supposed to walk through it. Sometimes we have to trust Him enough to wait - even when we do not understand why--because God sees the circumstances we cannot see yet.
He knows what our families will need. He knows what we will need. And He knows when all the pieces will finally come together. For years, I prayed for God to open a door. Looking back, I am grateful He also gave me the wisdom and peace to know which door to walk through.
September 13, 2026
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
