It’s been a very interesting few months. All of my job applications have officially… failed. Despite having a master’s degree, applying for jobs has started to feel almost impossible.

As I prayed about this, a thought hit me that felt like it came straight from God:

Do you really want to go back to slavery? Back to a 9-to-5? You could stay out here in the desert, trust Me, and stay free.

My first response was probably the same response most people around me would have:

“Well, no, God… but I need security. Benefits. Steady pay. Health insurance.”

And then came the question:

Is that really security? Is that where security actually comes from?

Not long after, God started sending me Uber passengers with the exact opposite problem: people with plenty of money, but absolutely no time.

There was the tech executive flying home to his beach house after missing half of his family vacation. He wouldn’t even get to tuck his kids into bed that night.

There was the corporate manager flying in to evaluate a retreat, only to immediately fly back out for two more stops the same evening.

There were people from New York City who couldn’t stop talking about how many trees we have here.

Meanwhile, this week I got to spend time with my child. I didn’t have to fly anywhere. I’ve been to the beach twice.

So who is actually wealthier?

What does it really mean to be rich?

What good is money if it steals the one thing you can never get back: time?

The desert road I’ve been walking has forced me to completely reevaluate the way I live. But strangely enough, it’s been for the better.

It reminds me of a T-shirt I saw in Rome once:

“I’m sorry, but the lifestyle you ordered isn’t available right now.”

And honestly, maybe that’s a blessing.

Here are some of the changes I’ve noticed:

1. I don’t really need to eat out anymore. I can make better, cheaper food at home.
2. I don’t drink coffee or alcohol. Water costs less, and I have more energy and more stable moods.
3. I already have all the clothes I truly need. In fact, I could probably donate half of what I own.
4. I don’t need to buy people expensive gifts. I can share the gifts God already gave me.
5. I don’t need to travel constantly. There are beautiful and interesting things right here in my own town.
6. I don’t need to watch endless movies and shows. There are books at the library waiting to be read—for free.

Lately, I’ve been thinking deeply about the relationship between money and time.

I realized something important:

I don’t actually have to sell all of my time to one employer.

I can sell some of my time to people who have money but no time at all.

And because I own my own time, I can choose the clients and projects I want to work on. I can offer my time to people who desperately need it—and charge accordingly.

I can choose the desert.

I can choose God.

And I can tell the gold to wait.

I can choose to be free.

Here’s a song I wrote about all of this: