Working Mama Wednesday - Career Choice Impact of Foster Care

Recently I received a few calls about new positions to consider.  This isn't all that unusual.  I'm fortunate to get calls fairly frequently from recruiters looking to steal me away (or offer me a better opportunity).  Some positions I've considered but many I've almost immediately rejected.

Why?  Foster care, primarily.  There are two impeding factors that make me averse to considering a new position because they don't go well with our lives as foster parents.

First - Relocation.  Anytime relocation is required (about 50% of the calls I receive) I usually don't give it more than a passing thought.  Moving out of the area would require transferring my license and, depending on the situation we're in at the time, not taking our foster kids with us.  That means we'd have to make the kids move to another home or wait until they leave on their own (or are adopted) and that process is so uncertain most companies wouldn't want to wait.  Interestingly, the most recent call I received said they would wait, up to a year, if I'd commit to moving after that year was up.  Moving out of state would require a complete change in our foster care situation - since we're licensed through the state we'd have to completely close and start from scratch in a new state.  Not sure we want to do that either and the factor with the kids would still be in play.  Of course, relocating with our core family would be enough of a consideration to make us stay - not sure I want to uproot them from everything they've always known.

Second - Work requirements.  50-75% travel?  Will. not. work.  Not at this point in our lives.  Not only is it crazy enough to manage 5 kids (or so) with my hubby and I working different schedules but add to that the repeated trauma of mommy leaving for a week or two at a time?  I don't think so.  Not right now.  (Plus, I have a big desire to be home with my kids and actively parent them).  On top of that, I've really been blessed to be in a good place where my crazy family schedule is tolerated with my current job.  Yesterday I worked from home so I could manage a doctor visit and FAD worker visit during the day.  Today I got to work an hour later than I would have liked to because of the crazy of our morning routine topped off by my son spilling his cup of cereal on his pants in the car in the oh-so-unfortunate spot looking like he had an accident.  (Of course I was working last night until 11pm so it all evens out).  Losing that freedom right now in my life is a bit frightening.

I've always said my family comes before my work and it does.  But with this latest round of "would you consider...", I was really convicted about my plans vs. God's plans.  I constantly lecture everyone in my head if not more vocally about how they COULD do something if they wanted to and how letting God choose their course involves being open to what God wants, no matter what that looks like or how it impacts my life.  Bottom line, I have to be willing to move or travel or work somewhere else or not work if that is what God is calling mie to do and how on earth would I be willing to if I shut down the consideration before even listening to the recruiter, let alone the Holy Spirit.  

Now I find myself being challenged to open up my world of possibilities of what God's plan could be instead of putting Him, once again, in the box I've created to support my own plan for my life.  What if He asked us to move?  We've done it before and it was wildly successful.  What if He asked us to change companies and with that brought more of a 7:45-5:15 kind of schedule?  

I need to be open to being obedient...that's the best place I can be.

Of course I still hope that place is physically at my current home :) Just like I'd hoped not to be infertile...