Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 1Chronicles 16:8
Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner…God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. 1Peter 4:12-13; 5:7-11 (The Message)
This week I want to share about this summer’s monumental moment:
Everyone knows about the crash of the housing market. Foreclosures line nearly every street right now, and even more new houses sit empty . Most who have read this blog on a regular basis knows that my husband Ben owns his own business, Epoc Designs. We have been self employed for nearly 2 years now. It has definitely been a roller coaster ride, as the building of any small business is.
Going full time for us was not a decision I thought we were going to make as soon as we did. I thought we were changing from one secure job to another and we were going to be wise about starting our own business. Build it up from the side, and have plenty in savings and then go for it. One mentor said to my sister and I that you do not truly have to trust God to provide until you have no credit cards, and no safety nets.
The decision to jump into full time came when the new job did not work out as well as we thought it was going to. After it fell through and we were praying about what to do, we both felt like going to find another job at that point was backing up. So we decided God had set us up, he had pulled the downy out of our nest. My security of income, insurance, and 401-k was gone. I only had one source, and it was not Ben.
Well we hit some hard times. And as is our nature you begin to wonder if you really heard from God or not. So, we sought counsel from two different Pastors/counselors in our church. We explained the circumstances and the battle between walking in what we believed God had shown us and wondering if we should just go get a “steady income/secure” job. I asked where was the line between Faith and Stupidity. One of the counselors simply said God knows how far behind you are, and he knows at what point you will be foreclosed on. (This is not very reassuring to a mom of two and woman with a NEED for security) I accepted this and we together made a line that if it were crossed he would seek other employment. Bills were not paid, but the tithe and offering was given faithfully. We decided to put our faith in God, we figured what we had was not enough to meet our need anyway. (Our Bishop’s wife says, if what you have will not meet your need, then let what you have be your seed, and God will cause the seed to be great enough to meet your need.) So we gave what we had, and tested God in the tithe as he directs us to. Every time we gave we told God, you said you would prove yourself true, and we choose to trust you.We came to the point that we were getting letters threatening foreclosure. Part of me was saying “o.k. well if they foreclose he will go get a different job and we will get back on track”, but either way I was tired of worrying about it. (And I mean exhausted to the point that I had no energy to worry anymore)
We had several big deals that seemed to be the answer, if we could just get those we would be alright. One friend would call me every day asking if anything had happened or moved. Everyday she would get the same answer, “Nope, but one way or the other God is in control”. One by one every deal we believed was going to be our big breakthrough fell through. We would just say well it ain’t over yet. My sister said I was on some kind of Holy Ghost Zanex. Maybe so, God calls it “The peace that passes all understanding”.
Finally we had received a letter, if we did not pay all of our house payments by a certain date, foreclosure would begin. There was a foreclosure 2 houses down from us, and don’t you know every time I drove by that house it called out to me that I was next. None the less, I said “Whatever, it is just a house, and I am not in control anymore.”
Maybe you are wondering at this point where Ben was in all of this, basically where I was. As the provider of the family of course he struggled with the idea of giving up on his dream, or providing for us. Wondering if and why it had to be a choice?
I am not saying that in every circumstance that this is the right path, but as we sought God together neither of us felt released for him to go get a different job. This is what I consider the dividing line. Both of us sought God, and both of us felt like we simply needed to keep on keeping on.
We had come to the end of July and knew that we had two days left before foreclosure process would begin. August 8th, (pointed out to me the eighth month and the eighth day, new beginnings) One day before the foreclosure, and we get a visit. Someone from our church stopped by our home and told us that God had put it on their heart to give us a certain amount of money. Three house payments, the exact amount we needed to completely catch us up, was in the amount of this check. It was not the big deals we thought was coming through, it was not the way we thought it would happen, not the source we thought. Even better, it was a testimony that God is the source, and nothing can keep God from blessing us, and providing for us. (How many people do you know that hands over thousands of dollars expecting nothing in return?)
Even during this holiday season we all stress about how to pay the bills and have a good Christmas. I think God has proven to me this year that HE is definitely in control! We are still in the process of believing God to do great things for us, but that is why we must remember the things He has already done. Ben said to me once “No great testimony starts with ‘well we were just fine, everything was going well and God just decided to bless our socks off…” Remember this as you face your trials:
[audio:keeponshinin.mp3]Having faith in the long run is easier said than done
It’s hard to live out in the light of day
You’re bruised and you’re battered, your dreams have been shattered
Your best laid plans scattered over the placeDespite all your tendencies, God sees it differently,
Your struggle’s a time to grow
And you, you’re a miracle, anything but typical
It’s time for the whole wide world to know~ Third Day ( Keep On Shining )