Why 'Secure Jobs' Can Still Leave You Empty

When I first started my career as a speech therapist, I was excited. It was new. It felt like purpose. I was making what I thought, at the time, was decent money, and I was proud of that. But as the years passed, that spark began to dim. I felt more tired than fulfilled. The joy was gone, and in its place were questions—big ones. "Why am I here?" "What am I even doing?"

“Know your why,” they say. It’s usually the first thing employers throw at you during onboarding, but what happens when your “why” changes? What happens when the reason you started no longer fuels you, and instead, drains you?

I’ve had more days than I care to admit where people would ask how I was doing, and I’d half-joke: “You know those fighting games where, when you’ve been hit too many times, your health bar is flashing red? Yea... that’s me.” I was alive—but I was dragging. Functioning on autopilot. Smiling when I had to. Showing up when I barely had the energy to stand.

One moment hit me hard. I went to pick up my daughter from her after-school program. I rang the doorbell and waited... and waited. Something in my spirit told me, “You have her with you.” Confused, I got back in the car and drove off to pick up my older kids from the high school. It wasn’t until I looked in the rearview mirror and realized the backseat was too quiet—too empty—that I knew something was wrong. I forgot her. I stood there waiting for a child I didn’t even bring.

That moment cracked something open in me. I thought, “Brittany... what are we doing?” I wasn’t living. I was surviving. I was absent from my own life.

Over the years, I’ve grown and learned so much. And one of the most sobering truths I’ve come to accept is this: Many of us live lives completely out of alignment with God. We follow paths that look good, sound good, or meet some family or societal expectation—but they aren’t connected to our purpose. We take jobs just because they “pay the bills,” but those same jobs drain the soul out of us. No wonder we feel exhausted. No wonder we feel like something’s missing.

And here’s the thing—we are missing something. We're missing that divine alignment. That intentional connection to what we were created to do. Every one of us has a purpose. It was written before we ever took our first breath. But too often, we let our own logic, fear, and ego lead us into places we were never meant to stay.

So here’s my encouragement to you: Even if you're unsure of where you stand with God... even if you're not religious or feel distant from faith—take a few moments each day to get quiet. Still your mind. Cut through the noise. You’d be amazed at what God can whisper when you finally make space to listen.

And that brings me to the question I want to leave you with: Are you full—or are you empty?