I am so stoked to introduce you to another incredible friend I met through my other blogging site on Xanga. It's just amazing to me that even though we have never met in person we formed an immediate friendship because we serve the same Savior. Meet Lisa...
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Lisa is an Army Chaplain's wife and a doula who home schools her kids, eats a lot of dark chocolate, loves winter, and enjoys sitting with a book and a cup of coffee. She thoroughly enjoys this blogging world and has made some really good friends in the past year. She is very grateful for grace, a patient husband, children old enough to do chores, and Twitter pals. Lisa blogs over at The Army Chap's Wife.
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It is truly hard to believe, but my husband has been without a full-time job since June 2010. That's a year and a half. Eighteen months of learning what it means to trust. Eighteen months of being surprised and sustained by God's provision and grace.
The biggest surprise for me, personally, is how content I am with the "living in-between" that we've found ourselves in for so long. God has called my husband and I to wait on Him. To be content to just "BE" instead of frantically searching for "WHAT'S NEXT?" It is not an easy thing to do! Don't get me wrong, my husband has done his mighty fair share of job hunting, but the way he's gone about it has been totally different from times in the past. And my contentment level? It has nothing to do with my strength or spirituality--it's all God's doing!
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."Sometimes "being still" is the hardest thing to do. Human tendency is to want to "do" and make our own way.
We had grand ideas of what kind of job my husband would have, what part of the country we would live in, what our family would be like, and again He surprised us by not going by our ideas. Imagine that!! (Kidding!) What He HAS done is given us a love for where we are now, and plenty of ministry opportunities that we did not expect--all the while faithfully providing for our every need. We have been given some amazing chances to encourage others who are struggling to trust that God will take care of them.
The time has definitely not been easy. We have struggled along the way--emotionally and relationally--but we are learning along the way as well. God does have a way of using times like these to grow us up, refine our character, and teach us to trust.
For each member of our family, that trust has meant something different. My youngest has learned that God will provide enough money for us to make our house payment. My oldest has learned that she can continue to make friends even if she doesn't know how much longer she'll live here. I have learned that God can give me a desire to enjoy where I am at the moment, instead of thinking "I'll be happy when..." And my husband has learned that obeying God, even when it doesn't seem to make logical sense, can reap tremendous rewards.
We still don't know what's next. But, somehow that doesn't matter as much now as it used to. We have learned that God's surprises are good.
6 comments:
Wow! What an inspiration you are! To have such tremendous faith during such uncertainty. God bless you and your family as you remain in obedience to Him.
@Kimberly
Thank you Kimberly! It has not been easy, and we've not always been calm about it, but it's been such an amazing learning process.
Lisa my heart goes out to you, I have been in that place that you are in. The first time for a year and the second time for 6 months and I understand the "content" you describe. But it was the move that sent me over the edge and probably because it wasn't in my plans and I didn't understand it at first. I got depressed and didn't want to leave our apartment because I couldn't find the place called acceptance and had forgotten (quickly) that the only way there was through faith. And now, now I wouldn't move back for anything!
Many blessings to you and your family, exciting things await you!
Kim
beautiful post!
i had to laugh when i read,
"He surprised us by not going by our ideas." yes! "imagine that!" ;)
funny how He seems to be looking at something we can't see...like The Bigger Picture maybe?! and lisa. what a sweet testimony you have shared of how God is uplifting you and revealing himself. i love how each one is learning individually as well as corporately. you are awesome...inspiring HOPE for all of us In The Waiting, whatever ours may be.
miss you on xanga btw!
love and the best of wishes for the upcoming Christmas season!
this is so very inspiring I pray that God will solve the job situation and I know he will in his timing. It's interesting to me to see that not just in my life God uses those hardest of times to draw us nearer to him. God bless you and your family.
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