We are now going through a hard time with a job loss, but my heart is still overflowing with these blessings I have been given. Daily, I think back to when times were especially hard. I don't think back for negative reasons, but because I don't want to forget. I don't ever want to be poor again, but I also don't want to forget what it's like.
Our future is uncertain while we face a future with unemployment, but I still see many blessings surrounding me. I could weep for happiness as I hear the birds chirp, my chickens cluck, and the wind in the pine trees. We were so broke at one point, living on little, and literally "robbing Peter to pay Paul." The stress was all-consuming. When we first moved here, our six-year-old said, "We don't get into trouble much at this house."
It's true. They don't. The extra space helps immensely, but so does my stress level.
It is often the poor who seem the most messy, the most impatient, and the most angry. They are not wanting to be like that. The stress of being poor is just so great that they cannot see past their problems. It is the lack of hope that keeps them there.
I don't want to go back to joining the poor, but I do want to help ease their burdens. I want to help them see that there is hope. I have hope because of God and His promises. He says for us to not worry about what we will eat or what we will wear. Look at the sparrow, He says, how it does not stock up on food yet it is daily fed. Look at the lilies, He says, even King Solomon in all his finest was never dressed as one of these. (Matthew)
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
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2 comments:
Hi, Lori! I have been in this situation of having to depend on God for our food every day.In 1999, my husband had surgery,no insurancce & he had no job, because he had been working a temp. job, then after surgery he was suposed to start the best job he would have ever had. I t was over $12 an hour, well, because he had the surgery the D%R. wouldn't release him for 6 weeks & he lost the opportunity. We were living in farmhouse , we partially owned & my sister sued our whole family & we had lots of court hearings. We had just found our our son had been molested for several months at the church we went to by several people & that the baby we were supposed to adopt , his mother wanted him back, after she found out she could get $500 a month child support.We had no job,my sister was evicting us from our home to,no car-the motor blew up , no food & we were never so blessed , as we were then. I've even prayed for him to lose his job, so we could get that faith level back again(yeah, stupid I know).Every day & night we would pray & people qwould bring us food, tell us God told them to give us this money for this or that bill. My husband found another job with a temp. service about 85 miles from where we were & we prayed for him to have a way to work next day , as when we went to bed , we didn't know how he was going to get there. My Dad came down in the morning & said we could use the new geo metro he just bought. This was like a miracle. Dad had helped us out before , but we were having some disturbances with him , because of things he did , we were losing the farm. We used that car for 2 1/2 months. Living in faith for everything is the ultimate experience. It causes you to grow spiritaully. Blessings .
Lisa, Thank you so much for sharing this! What an experience you've had! I understand why you wish you could return to that level of faith.
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