Just Another Road Trip - Living Obediently

To say that our lives are one unexpected experience after another would be an understatement, but we have learned that each moment is part of His plan and we never pretend to know what is going to happen next….let alone the reasons behind them.

I have been home just over two months. About three weeks after I got back, my husband was laid off via phone call just two days before Christmas. Weeks before his contract was due to end, he asked his supervisor and liaison at the contract house, if his assignment was secure or would be ending. He was told his work was good and that no decisions were made one way or another but he would be the first to know as soon as anything was solid. On the last day before the company shut down for a week, he worked a normal day before coming home at 4:00pm…by 5:02pm the phone was ringing and it was his contract house that placed him at his latest assignment. They were calling to inform him that he was no longer needed, asked if he had any “personal affects” left in the office, and said “Don’t worry, you are eligible to receive unemployment compensation.” It was not the news we hoped for but a scenario we prayed about often in the weeks before. We took solace in knowing that this was part of His plan for us and not for us to try and figure out.

We have a clear vase in the foyer near our front door. We put worries and drama on pieces of paper, fold them into quarters and throw them inside. Every folded note is a reminder of things that we can’t control but know Jesus is working on behind the scenes….. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:11-14

We wrote yet another note to Him, placed it into our vase and prayed. We knew that when we called on him, he listened to us and we promised to continue to live by faith and footwork…. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12.

Our faith and footwork motto has been extended to include….living obediently. We have had faith that Jesus will provide for us…. he always has. My husband has been diligently searching for a job online, attending the JobShop at our church each week, networking with up to a dozen contract houses, and going to job fairs; fulfilling the footwork part and now Jesus has asked us to take that a step further. A company found his resume online, phoned him, interviewed him and then offered him a position in aerospace…IN OKLAHOMA. It was not part of our plan but we know that it isn’t about us but what Jesus does for us….no longer being behind the scenes but asking us to be bold and go where He directs us, wherever that may be.

The job is just three to six months…to start but we are grateful for whatever He gives to us and jumped at this opportunity. Tomorrow my husband is on a flight to Oklahoma and my Cardboard Jesus has already packed up his backpack and will be boarding the plane with him. I was gone for six months and we vowed never to be apart again. But, we now know that the distance and time between us then was also part of his plan and my husband being gone for a month will seem like no time at all. Where we once were questioning his unemployment for two months we realize just how grateful we were for so much time together before this amazing opportunity. “In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Jesus…my life is yours. All that I have is because of your grace. This job that you have blessed our family with, no matter where to or for how long…is all because of you. We are living obediently and do not pretend to know what your plan is for us but always promise to follow the path that you light for us. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12

I have never lived on my own. I went right from high school to college to the army to a husband. Tomorrow it will be me, Cardboard Jesus, and Paulie…my new cocker spaniel named after “You Know Who.” My husband will be gone a month and then home for two weeks then gone for a month, etc. Praise to Him for this awesome turn of events. We will continue to share His grace as he has shown it to us giving a whole new meaning to “Paying it Forward.”