Sometimes, clarity comes not through striving—but through surrender.
If you’re discerning a shift in your vocation, or wondering if it’s okay to let go of something meaningful… this is a gentle invitation to breathe, to listen, and to let the Lord lead you in your season.
When my fifth baby was born, I quit my job. While technically part-time, I worked upwards of 40 hours a week during busy seasons. The hours fluctuated, but the circumstances stayed the same for the eleven years I served as an RCIA leader—I poured my heart and soul into that work.
RCIA (now formally called OCIA) is the process by which adults enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. Depending on the individual’s journey, it can take anywhere from a few months to over a year to complete. Though it was taxing at times, I loved every minute of it.
Yet, when I became pregnant with my fifth, I sensed it was time to close that chapter—at least for now. Homeschooling, managing a part-time job, and leading a program of up to 25 adults at a time was simply too much. I didn’t realize how rundown and exhausted I was until the baby arrived—and I had no work to return to. It was a surprising revelation: I could finally breathe and rest, even while healing and caring for a newborn. Who knew I needed to have a baby just to get a break?
A Time for Everything
I felt compelled to share this because in walking away, I learned an invaluable lesson: life—especially as a parent—moves in seasons. The Lord Himself tells us this in Ecclesiastes:
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant…
A time to be silent, and a time to speak…
A time of war, and a time of peace.
— Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 (NABRE)
It took the nerve-wracking decision to step away from work to realize I would be okay not “working” for a while. I wouldn’t lose myself. My degrees wouldn’t go to waste. In choosing to pause, I finally found space to breathe and offer more of the best of myself to my family—without being so worn thin.
Though I was initially so afraid to leave my job, it was a decision that brought me so much peace in the end.
I know that my kids will be little only for a short time, and then the season will shift again. Where the Lord will lead me, I will follow.
What Season Are You In?
If you’re in a similar place—facing a big decision like stepping away from a job or letting go of something meaningful—consider this:
- What season are you in?
- Is God calling you to lay something down?
- To make more room?
- Or maybe you’re in a season where you’re able to take on more?
Wherever you are, take it to the Lord and let Him guide you. When we approach life this way—seeking His will and keeping the good of our families and ourselves in view—we may just find we’re being led toward peace.
The Catholic Commons 
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