“Make mistakes, learn from them, and when life hurts you (because it will), remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you’re out of that cave.”
– Jim Hopper (Stranger Things Season 3)

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you know how weird the past few months have been. I was let go at the start of the year, and that left me with a lot of hurt, feeling unwanted and unappreciated. It sucked, but then, we got a little message from God. Our time in Greensboro didn’t seem to have anything for us, and a door opened to come down here in Orlando. My dearest Danielle started the Disney College program, and it was such a unique blessing for our season. While we’ve been down here, I didn’t have a job offer waiting. I applied a lot, but nothing seemed to be biting for me. Ouch, kinda stunk to have a cool transition to a new place, but still deal with feeling of being unwanted.

In the midst of that, Danielle helped me choose to view things differently. I started trusting God. My prayers were pretty much, “this doesn’t make sense but I trust you.” You see I’ve learned that God’s plan is unexpected and often doesn’t make sense, and that’s beautiful.

So, I saw a posting for a part-time position at Walt Disney World, and I applied. Then I got an interview, and this is when God was really cool. I sat in the interview and had a great conversation, I then was offered a full-time position on the spot, oh yeah, and it was for a role at the new Star Wars land, Galaxy’s Edge. Just the right timing. God’s cool like that. This means life is going to be much busier and Danielle and I will be quite tired at the end of our work days, but I’m so thankful to be able to say yes to an open door.

The main thing I’ve learned is to have joy in all things.

I’ll tell you, I didn’t really want to be happy in the season of unknowns. Then God reminded me, it’s not about happiness. Happy is an emotion that easily shifts and changes, what I need to focus on is how to have joy. Joy is knowing that no matter what, God has the victory. So, when my circumstance is dire or I feel unwanted, I can have joy. No earthly struggle is bigger than God’s victory. When that is my mindset, I start to not care what others think of me. My job isn’t to impress others, my job is to love others. I’m called to love others by serving them and sharing the gospel. It doesn’t have to be in an obnoxious way, it simply means that my life is an example of freedom from what Jesus did on the cross. I’ve had to learn to let go of my anger, let go of the “what could have been” thoughts, and let God into those parts of me.

I let go of my plans and thoughts about life, and let God show me the way, that’s where I find true joy.

Faith is hard, but God is good.

I’ve been reading through Hebrews, and it’s filled with stories of faith all while never seeing the results of their actions. That’s a difficult thing, being able to move and act, even when you have no idea what will happen. I need to trust God, but I need to take a step of faith to enter his promise. Being a Walt Disney Cast Member is incredible, but I never planned on this, I simply said yes when the door was open. Sure, I may not be in ministry, but my life is an opportunity to influence others around me. I’m already learning so much, it’s amazing how wanted I truly feel. I want to live in faith. To help others feel wanted and know that they are made for a bigger purpose than they can even imagine. It’s not always easy to take a step of faith, but God is always good.

I started this post with a quote from Stranger Things. You might be thinking, “it’s weird he hasn’t mentioned it yet.” That was my plan, hook you till the end, comm studies guy right here. I love this quote, because I have been in a cave. I was in some real hurt, and I’m still working through it, but that hurt is a reminder that I am out of the cave. I am wanted. I am loved. I am appreciated. I am a son of the most high God.

I’m so thankful for this crazy journey my dearest Danielle and I are on. It’s wild and weird, and I love it more than anything. I can’t wait for all that God is going to do in this season. With that, I end this little journey update for you! I’ll still be here, each Monday, sharing what God is putting on my heart. If you find yourself on the planet of Batuu, be sure to say hello and “bright suns” to me!

-Joshua Thomas

(I also need to say this since I mentioned my role at the Walt Disney Company, all thoughts are my own and not of the Walt Disney Company)

About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a writer by day and superhero by night. When he’s not writing and crimefighting, you can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. The young writer doesn’t fully know what he’s doing, but is enjoying the journey of it all. You can tweet memes at him on Twitter @joshua_thomas__ or follow his hipster photos and Jack Kerouac musings on Instagram @joshua_thomas__