Believing God

So the rubber hits the road.

Today, my husband was let go from a job he had for nine years and loved doing.  It was a complete surprise for us.  Even in the tough economy and the business he's in, I thought we had made it through the worst of the cut backs and changes in the company.  Not so, I guess. 

It's a scary feeling.  It's pretty amazing how much of my security rested in him having a job and providing for our family.  So many thoughts are running through my head.  Jeff's job is "market oriented", so changing jobs for him often means changing cities.  My oldest daughter is a junior in high school; she wants to finish with her friends of course.  The twins and their medical care.  Health insurance.  Little things like getting my hair done (not really a big deal, right?  No seriously...right?).  It's a very insecure feeling. 

It has me thinking of the Old Testament and the practice of being "put out", when men could tire of their wives and just throw them out on the street.  They had no way to work and couldn't remarry because they were still married.  First Moses and then Jesus denounced this practice, knowing how harmful it was.  These women had no hope of supporting themselves.  Did they have children to take care of?  How frightening it must have been.  It would be so easy to feel despair.  It's amazing that I don't.  I am not an Old Testament woman.  I am a product of the resurrection.  I have the Holy Spirit, the trinity encompassing my family. 

It has been a joy today to tell my girls that I know this is a scary time, but Daddy has always taken good care of us and God loves our family and has good things for us.   Faith to me, is believing in an amazing God who sees the beginning from the end.  It is His peace that surrounds me, so even though I can easily think myself into a good panic if I wanted to, why would I spend energy on that?  I can't control any of this, and God knows the needs of our family.   I happen to be an expert at the whole "I can't fix this" concept.   I have faith that my husband will do whatever he has to do to take care of this family. 

So this is a 'wow' day for me.  It's one of those days that changes our lives.  God takes me by the hand and says "oh, no honey, we're going this way".  So this way we go. 

It's important to teach my children to believe God.  They need to see us praying, calm, motivated, figuring this out.  They need to understand that we have to tighten our belts.  They have to participate in cost cutting and watch as God provides for us.  It's good for all of us to remember that God is our provider, not Jeff or me.

I think I may have mentioned before that the only thing steady in my life is that it changes all the time.  This is just another one.  As far as I know, I don't have a brain tumor or anything else that impairs my judgment, so I'm determined to handle this the way I handle everything else.  One day at a time with a grateful heart and the provision of an awesome God.  That is really where the rubber hits the road.