How God Re-Ordered My Health, Family Time and Work
When Work Became All-Consuming
By the middle of last year I had allowed my work to become all consuming. I was working 10 to 12 hour days, as well as weekends and public holidays. I was doing this to meet a high workload and relentless deadlines all at the expense of my personal health (physical, spiritual, emotional), time with family, friends, fellowship with Christians and personal time with the Lord.
On 17th June 2025, after a particularly stressful event at work I had an anxiety attack (never previously experienced, or since). My blood pressure spiked, I stopped breathing, my mouth dried up, I struggled to talk, I had sharp tingling sensations running up and down both arms and became light headed. My colleagues and I were concerned that I might be on the edge of having a heart attack, or stroke. After being attended to by paramedics, my vitals had stabilised and I was given a lift home with instructions to rest and recover.
A Turning Point
That night I could not sleep. I journalled and prayed as I knew my wellness trajectory was heading in the wrong direction and I needed to make radical changes. Amongst other things, I wrote:
“I want to be fit and well for my family… I want to make many more memories with Sonya (my wife).”
“I am a child of God and choose to walk in the truth of His promises and purpose for my life…”
The next day, I had a vision of my blood vessels being constricted, restricting life-giving blood from flowing through my body. I also had a picture of the conduit between my spirit man and the Holy Spirit being restricted. I sensed God say to me that He was not surprised by my situation. I felt Him say, “I am with you and for you… I have a plan… trust Me.”
Choosing to Trust God
I am deeply grateful for my immediate and extended family, close friends and many people in this and other churches who supported and prayed for me. Thank you.
I decided to leave the company where I had worked for almost 17 years. This was a radical decision given my age (59), race and the South African economy. However God had said, “I will rescue you, I will restore you, I have a plan, trust Me.”
I was advised not to rush into looking for another job, but to give God time to heal me. I can humbly say that I genuinely did experience “the peace of God that transcends all understanding”.
A Season of Restoration
Over the next few months I was able to slow down, rebuild a daily habit of time in God’s word and prayer, start exercising again, reconnect with family and friends, spend more time with my grandson, help others in practical ways, invest in my marriage, and work with a life coach to address some of the mindsets that had contributed to my decline in wellbeing.
I came to fully appreciate that time is an extremely precious commodity and that I need to put boundaries in place and use it wisely.
God’s Timing and a New Beginning
In September I had one conversation about a possible job opportunity but sensed I needed to wait a little longer.
On New Year’s Eve I sensed God saying that 2026 would be a year of new beginnings. This was confirmed in my Bible reading on 1 January from Isaiah 43:18–19.
On 27 November 2025 a director of another company contacted me. After a few informal meetings, I signed an employment contract on 22 January to start work on 2 February. God is so good.
This Project Manager role allows me to draw on all my experience, with work that energises me, better conditions, and less commuting. The most incredible part is that I did not approach them — they contacted me.
Ephesians 3:20–21 “To him who is able to do more than we ask, think or imagine, to him be all the glory, honour and praise.”
– Tony Laughton