I don’t know about you, but I’m a “I go with my gut” kind of person, because I believe the Holy Spirit lives there. So in my prayer life, I have many moments I could name over and over of how I felt called to make a decision. You know what I’m talking about – those gut feelings that help you navigate what to do when life could take you several different directions.
Let’s walk through a few examples that are easy to call out:
For one, I felt called to start a business as soon as I graduated college.
I knew nothing about running a business. I didn’t know ANY of the common things – platform, metrics, making a business plan, taxes, why you shouldn’t use legal zoom, etc. I remember even “arguing” with God (if you will) and listing all the reasons why I wasn’t the right person to start a company. After patiently listening, I felt this gentle whisper in my ear, “Rosalynne, it’s not by your own power or knowledge you will do this. It’s by MY working THROUGH you.”
You can’t really argue with that (or with God in general, despite how hard I might sometimes try). Needless to say, Rosalynne Love was born.
Another example, is that I felt called to marry my husband.
If you haven’t heard our story of how we met, it’s a pretty darn cute one. My husband came into my life during a time when I was very seriously considering long-term missions overseas. I’ve had a heart for missions and other countries for as long as I remember, and when my husband came into my life, I thought it was strange that I felt called to stay in the states and marry Daniel, and not “go off and change the world.”
I’ve since realized that while my intentions were good, God’s plans were and always are so much bigger than anything I could ever ever planned for myself.
I learned that while I can make an impact and change the world, I am able to make an even bigger impact with my husband by my side.
I could go on and on about this, but I’ll keep it short and simple and just say that all too often, I put God in a box. I put parameters on what I think He can and cannot do, and tend to be surprised when I find out that God thinks bigger than I do.
Funny, right? Because my human brain sometimes can’t grasp that life’s possibilities are truly endless.
Speaking of endless possibilities, I have something to share with you.
Earlier this year, I felt that God was letting me know that change was around the corner. I started praying that God would open my eyes to what that change looked like, and how I could best steward my time, my gifts and my talents.
So I prayed, and prayed, and then prayed some more.
In my head, of course, I thought this missing thing would be something practical and something that I could fix. Any other chronic “fixers” out there?
For example, my husband and I have been house shopping for many months, so I thought that maybe finding “the house” my husband and I have been searching for would be the answer. But that hasn’t happened yet. While I do feel like that’s something I look forward to having answered, I felt like there was something else.
So perhaps, instead, I thought it could be this amazing breakthrough in my business that I was just on the verge of. However, I did an audit of my business, my work/life balance, and while I did find areas that needed improvement, and which I made the necessary & very healthy changes for, this still didn’t seem to be what was missing.
I kept praying.
Then one day, my husband comes home from work at Chick-fil-A Corporate (the “home office,” if you will, or the Support Center as many know it). He said there was an opening in the marketing department, and I should apply for it.
To be perfectly candid: I remember thinking in my head two things: 1) I’ve always wondered what it would be like to work in a corporate office and have totally thought I could rock the business casual look and 2) I was worried about what people would think if I get a “corporate job” when I’m already running my “dream business.” Isn’t that backwards?
It probably doesn’t help that I just listened to Brene Brown speak on vulnerability hours before I wrote this (this wasn’t the exact talk she gave, but here’s a Ted Talk of her’s on vulnerability, for reference). And even as I type this, I feel pretty silly that those were my first two thoughts, but it’s what really happened.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t thinking about what it would mean for me to get another job, how I could impact CFA and the corporate office, how my feeling of “lacking something” was was affecting my customers at Rosalynne Love, the overall the kind of person I was to friends and family and I didn’t even think about about what it would mean about what it would mean financially to Daniel and I.
That’s the selfish truth of human nature. I am so thankful that God is much bigger than the thoughts and stories I build in my head. Or even in this case, the lack of things I was considering in that moment.
One thing I didn’t mention was there was a third thought which went through my head. When I recognized this thought, it kind of felt like I was getting slammed with a giant meteor of goodness.
Why?
Because y’all… It felt right.
Again, to be candid: I found this confusing.
During all this prayer and transition, I wasn’t really considering getting a corporate job. I was (and am) so thankful for Rosalynne Love, and I didn’t want to take time away from my business. I truly love pouring my heart and soul into my company, and I thought if I got a job, I wouldn’t be able to maintain Rosalynne Love at the capacity I was currently doing everything.
And reversely: I also had the thought, that if I got a job, I wouldn’t be able to be there fully – as I would be focused on Rosalynne Love stuff and not be able to commit and be fully present there.
However, once again, God shows how His capacity is so much bigger and that His Presence can so perfectly coordinate my life, and being in the present.
I decided to go ahead and apply for the job.
I remember reading over the job description and thinking, “I don’t really fit any of these qualities (on paper, at least).” But nevertheless, there was this overwhelming sense of peace.
So I applied. I had a phone interview. That went well, so I had a second phone interview. Then I was asked to come in for an in person interview. That went amazing! I had my final in-person interview with who would be my boss, and… I got the job.
I accepted. Even though I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, I felt so much peace that God had everything in His hands. That He was going to coordinate my work hours and Rosalynne Love schedule and everything else we had been planning for our lives.
So early this fall, I accepted a position as a contractor at the Chick-fil-A Support Center. I am in the Marketing Department (if you ever come visit the corporate office, it’s one of THE most aesthetically, beautiful floors) which is not only beautiful, but has some of the most incredible and talented people I have ever met.
I work on the Advertising team, specifically supporting Operators (Chick-fil-A store owners) and their markets on their creative needs. For example, we coordinate Billboards (yes, those fun Cow Scrawl billboards) and radio advertisements. My role specifically is best described as a “traffic coordinator” as I am the one helping to coordinate all stakeholders and our agency.
The role in itself might not sound like the most exciting thing – and true, I spend a lot of my day in my inbox. But the amount of things I’ve learned, the experience and wisdom I’ve gleaned from my colleagues and the hundreds of people I interact with daily has been… Life changing.
I still don’t think I’m the best at describing it, because when I do it sounds contradictory. The best way I can say it is that I know without a shadow of a doubt, that I am supposed to be here at CFA Corporate and running Rosalynne Love. That I am a piece of the puzzle that is making a difference in this office. I feel valued and appreciated. I know God is at work on even bigger things that I haven’t even yet seen, both at CFA and with RL.
I feel empowered. Starting at Chick-fil-A, I realize that I had “hidden” insecurities that God has helped me work through (or I should better say: is continuing to help me work through).
A little side note: When people ask how our transition to Atlanta is going, I like to share that I believe Atlanta has been a place where I feel God weaving so many of our prayers together. And y’all, I’m talking prayers I have prayed since I was a little girl! I just see God fulfilling so many beautiful things for both Daniel and I here, during this chapter in our lives.
In the last few months, I’ve had some really fun perspective changes. It’s really interesting going from a job where I am the sole person fulfilling 100 different roles, to now, where there are ENTIRE TEAMS fulfilling just one of those 100 roles I previously experienced doing all on my own.
Also, I just need to point out: if you don’t know anything about CFA or the Corporate Office, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard of in a corporate environment. I like to say it’s the “Disney World’s” of places to work – and even Glassdoor just named us one of the top 100 companies to work for!
What makes it so amazing?
I firmly believe that a lot of it has to do with the founder – Truett S. Cathy – who built this company on Christian values. He honored God and loved people in all that he did, and I believe that a lot of that is in the roots of what the company is today.
Plus, the leaders truly loves their employees. Like I mentioned above, Daniel and I both feel so valued here. People appreciate the work that we do and respect our work. I could go on and on, but in short I’ll just say it’s a very healthy working environment.
Plus there’s other fun benefits that come with working here. For example:
– We have a full service cafe that’s free to all staff, contractors, visitors, vendors, and families. They serve a delicious hot meal, usually with a few sides, the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, and a huge salad bar, complete with nuts and dried fruits! #blessed
– We have a gym with fitness classes (my favorite) that we are allowed to use daily
– We are encouraged to practice a healthy work-life balance, and when you are home, you are asked to leave work at work
But all that being said, when people show up at work… they work harder than any group of people I’ve ever seen. I think there’s something to making people feel valued; in turn, they will return the value right back to you.
Last thing: the people are so genuinely kind. They go beyond just saying “my pleasure” at the end of the conversation, as they truly extend that kindness and good-hearted intentions behind what they do. The whole “actions speak louder than words” is truly seen here.
I also have to brag on my supervisor (she prefers it when I call her my colleague) because she has made this transition SUCH an amazing experience. She isn’t afraid to have difficult conversations with me (something that’s hard to find and I love) and she is also really great at constantly affirming me in different ways. As a “Words of Affirmation” girl, this is something I need in my work and from my team (especially in a new role). Even when I make mistakes, she helps teach me how to improve in those errors. She has been a gift beyond all gifts, and I am so thankful God put her in my life!
This was rather long, and if you’ve made it this far, I appreciate your taking the time to read through my story! Like I said: I’m still figuring out so many things. I don’t know what the future holds, but as of right now, I am thoroughly enjoying running Rosalynne Love and working in the Marketing Department at Chick-fil-A.
Bonus: My husband works at Chick-fil-A, and we get to carpool together every day. Y’all, I cannot even tell you how much of a gift this has been to our marriage! We are in a very busy season of life and haven’t been able to spend anywhere near as much quality time together as we would like to, and with our carpooling, we’ve basically been given an extra two solid hours that we get together every single work day.
Y’all, God is SO good.
I could continue ranting on and name so many different things, but I think that this has become lengthy enough.
If I can leave you with anything, it would be this: Trust God. Trust in His timing and His faithfulness. Listen to that Still, small voice. Don’t put God in a box and limit His capacity or capability in your life. I would reassure you that His plan is always so much better than anything we could come up with on our own.
Thank you for reading, and for blessing me with this gift of Rosalynne Love, and now, the ability to do both.
Have a wonderful weekend and a fabulous Holiday Season!
Blessings,
P.S. Here are a few photos at CFA.
Above is one of my favorite spots – it’s on the 5th floor of the Support Center and has a heart that says, “Our Pleasure.” I thought it was the perfect little photo op to share this blog post!
The second photo is a group of new girlfriends I met at work (we all work in the Marketing department on the fourth floor) and this last Monday, we went to The Grove at Passion City Church together! At one point thought the service, I was overwhelmed with joy at the thought, “I am WORSHIPPING with girls I work with. Not sure there could be a greater gift.” Again, God is so good, y’all!
This last week we celebrated Christmas at the Support Center – and that included one morning being greeted by Dan Cathy himself (the CEO of Chick-fil-A) playing the trumpet (to a Christmas jingle) and the well-known CFA cows dancing along.
Then, we had the honor of Brene Brown speaking to us in our atrium (which is all beautiful decorated for Christmas). I also got to briefly meet her in the elevator (post a very-sweaty-workout, #embarrasing) and her talk was very inspiring and moving!
Then a few more personal pictures – along with the Christmas celebration, they had “fake snow” going outside the real doors (and who knew – it actually DID snow today/Friday) and then a “live nativity” where I got to hang with a real life goat!
If you didn’t know – I have a weird (small) obsession with goats and really hope to own some. So this definitely made my day!
That’s all for now! <3
