God is in control: Letting go of my five-year plan and trusting the Holy Spirit
God is in control: Everything was going according to plan for Keela Dee Vaughn’s career as an English professor when she lost her job. Keela did everything she could to get a sense of direction back. Letting go of control proved especially challenging — until she realized the power of trusting God’s plan.
If you enjoy Keela’s story, you can read another faith story of hers — or learn how to write your own — in the book,“Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story.”
Keela Dee celebrating her graduation.
By Keela Dee Vaughn
I am a type-A, rule-following girly. I was in the gifted and talented program in elementary school. I was in the top 10% of my high school class.
I kept track of my money the Dave Ramsey way, starting from my first job, and I always had a carefully thought-out five-year plan.
I knew every answer in my Sunday school class, and had strong faith in God. I knew He was in control, but I thought I could handle most of the day-to-day logistics on my own.
After high school, my five-year plan came to fruition as I earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s in English. Following graduation, I worked through my next five-year plan, climbing the ladder at stepping-stone jobs. I put in the hard work and did my best until I landed my dream career teaching English at a university in Texas.
By the spring of 2024, I was right on track. I was juggling classes as an adjunct professor and working part-time for one of my favorite authors. Walking across campus with keys that would open any door, and emails from a bestselling author in my inbox, made me feel like a total beast.
I made it. Me.
All those years of studying and doing everything right led me exactly to where I wanted to be. I felt like I was set up until retirement. I was at the bottom of the ladder, sure, but I was on the right rung, rubbing elbows with the right people.
Plus, these were jobs I could do while taking care of my son, and that was a huge priority for the next five years.
Keela Dee with her two children.
Taking control of my future
But a few months into the spring semester, I saw the name of my favorite author cross my phone. I usually communicated about administrative tasks through his assistant, so I was slightly nervous and, honestly, a little starstruck that he was calling me.
His latest book wasn’t selling as well as he had hoped, and he had to make some cuts. I was the last in, so he explained, I would be the first out. He was apologetic, and he wrote a nice recommendation for me.
It was my first time being “let go,” and I did not care for it. Things were getting out of hand, but I wasn’t ready to let go of control. I was going to have to rely on God … or come up with another five-year plan.
I called my husband in tears, but he reminded me that this was just my side hustle. We would be OK. I still had my teaching job.
I had our second child that summer, and we were figuring out how to juggle the expenses of a family of four. We were putting aside money to celebrate my husband’s three siblings. All three had become engaged that summer!
Oh, and we were still paying off a new roof and fence from a tornado that had struck several months before. Everything always happens at once, right?
Our family definitely couldn’t live off just my husband’s income, and if I’m honest, I started to worry about our financial situation.
Then, in the fall of 2024, the university announced that it was struggling. They weren’t receiving their usual number of applicants and weren’t generating as much revenue. They were holding off on all promotions and hiring, putting a definite end to the ladder I hoped to climb.
I started thinking about looking for a more secure job elsewhere when my supervisor sent an email telling us there weren’t enough classes for all the professors to teach, and he encouraged us to explore “opportunities elsewhere.”
Since that was already on my mind, and I wanted there to be enough classes for the other instructors, I talked with my husband, and I decided to bow out. The problem was, I didn’t have another job lined up. But I did have the rest of the semester to figure out my next steps
As each day passed and I got closer and closer to unemployment, my anxiety grew. How were we going to afford our basic needs? Would God come through?
Keela Dee teaching a college class.
Letting go of control
I had worked so hard and done everything right to get to where I wanted to go, yet my career trajectory was shaken up. I was off my preconceived timeline. I felt helpless. Out of control. Tired. My five-year plan was in shambles, and I had two kiddos to feed.
I finished the fall semester teaching two online classes — using every free moment outside of grading, lesson planning, and parenting — to search for a new job.
The semester ended, along with my paychecks. I was starting to get rejection letters in my inbox, which filled me with despair each time. Without my income, we had to dip into our limited savings.
I believed God was taking too long to help me find a new job, and I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands.
At the beginning of 2025, I took a course to become a certified music teacher for children under five. With my experience playing in middle and high school bands, plus two kids of my own, it seemed like the right fit, and something that would eventually bring home a paycheck.
Taking the class was so fun, and things were lining up great. The kids were enjoying it, and I was working and contributing to our family. Unfortunately, it was essentially starting a business and required a lot of up-front costs, which I spent out of fear of not investing in my future.
As more and more logistics needed to be worked out, and more and more money needed to be spent in order to make a profit, my decision was feeling more and more … wrong.
Keela Dee and her husband.
God is in control
It had felt so good to regain a sense of control, but something kept blocking me from giving it the 100% it needed to be successful. It was like something — maybe the Holy Spirit — was holding me back from giving it my all.
I passed my class and became an accredited music teacher, but before I could take the final leap and fully open my music class, we got some news — all within one week, I swear.
One: My husband and I would be receiving a tax refund for the first time in our marriage, so a huge financial and mental weight was lifted off my shoulders.
Two: A job I had before teaching needed part-time remote help. Temporary at first, but with the possibility of becoming long-term.
Three: Another local college saw my resume and expressed interest in having me teach in the fall.
It was like God was saying: “Hello! I’ve been here orchestrating this for you the whole time. You just needed to be patient!”
It seems I’ve come full circle. I’m writing this in the fall of 2025, during office hours at my new college teaching job. And I’m working part-time again.
I now see how God is in control. He had it all planned out: Before I got the phone call and email disrupting my five-year plan, he had something better in mind for me.
He just asked that I be patient and wait. And he was right. I may have lost my “dream” position, but my job situation is better than before.
And let me tell you, patience isn’t my strong suit. Letting go of control is challenging. If I had just waited for God to come through, I would have saved myself a lot of stress and, honestly, a lot of money!
More than anything, I’m learning to let go of control and trust him. I can make my plans, sure, but I need to keep God at the center of them. God is in control, and I’m thankful that he shook up my five-year plan for my betterment and his glory.
Keela Dee Vaughn is a professor and story sharer for the glory of God. She has various publications and keeps up with a blog and podcast. Her free time is spent bingeing any kind of nerdy content while sipping on homemade lattes. Keela and her husband Colton live in Central Texas with their two sons. Connect with Keela on Instagram and Substack.
Read more stories how God is in control — and trusting him
Faith Storytellers’ mission is to lift up and share the story God is writing in the world — one faith story at a time! We’d love for you to join our community of Faith Storytellers by joining our newsletter. We’ll share new stories, writing prompts, and calls for story submissions. No story is seemingly too small to honor God!
This post contains affiliate links. By using these links to make a purchase, you’re helping Faith Storytellers continue to share inspiring stories of God’s work in the world.
God’s protection: Timothy B. Horne was serving as a missionary in Ecuador when a confrontation with a gang member turned violent. While aware of God’s presence, Timothy didn’t have time to say a specific prayer — instead, God’s hedge of protection surrounded him and four friends who might have otherwise died in the street in front of their church.