Last week I told you a story of how God’s plans for my life and the plans I had didn’t align with each other. My plans were comfortable, but they didn’t allow me to grow in the way God wanted me to grow. While God’s plans seemed scary at the time, they were the best choices for me to meet people I needed to meet and learn things I needed to learn.
The last move we made was from Dublin, Ireland to Round Rock, Texas. We felt God leading us to the Austin area for several years. (Round Rock is a suburb in north Austin.) Each previous time Brett attempted to get a job with the same company he was with, the door closed. It was because of each closed door that we ended up moving to Albuquerque for several months before heading out overseas to Ireland.
At the time we thought he had a dream job. We didn’t realize until later how demanding it was. They would take as much time as you would allow them to have and then demand even more. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great job. The company blessed us abundantly. Brett and I learned to balance family life with work life.
I Knew First
Oftentimes the Lord will tell me what is going to happen before he tells Brett. This happened when we moved back to Albuquerque. It also happened just last year when God was moving us away from the church we had attended for 5 ½ years. It happened in Ireland when we were trying to figure out where we were supposed to move after our time was up there. The Lord told me we were to move to Austin about a year into our stay in Ireland. Once the Lord tells me something like that, I want to instantly act on it. I was ready to buy a house sight unseen while we were still in Ireland. Thankfully, God gave me Brett, who stops me from making those kinds of impulsive and bad decisions.
For about 6 months I knew without a doubt that we were moving to Austin when we left Ireland. Brett, on the other hand, had a difficult time making the decision. It became clear that the only way to move to Austin was for Brett to quit his job. The idea of leaving that job was daunting. Brett worked at this company since college. As long as we lived in the right places, such as Phoenix, Arizona, he had great job security. I’m sure it was a much bigger decision for him, as he is the one who provides for our family financially.
It would be up to him to find another job. Not to mention he would have to figure out a way to pay for life in between quitting his old job and getting the new job. I know he wanted to do what was right in the eyes of God. He wanted to do what was right for his family. For those two reasons, I highly respect him.
The Lightbulb Moment
We were getting to the end of our time in Ireland and Brett still didn’t commit to living anywhere in the US. Besides moving to Texas, we could have moved back to Arizona. The problem with that is we would still be so far away from all of our family. Another option was moving back to New Mexico, but we were certain God didn’t want us there. The third option was moving to Oregon. There, Brett would have been like an indentured servant. We knew that was not what we wanted for our family. Brett flipped back and forth on where we should go. Texas seemed like a perfect place since we would be living in the same state as Brett’s family. The only negative was the fact he didn’t have a job there!
One day, Brett came out from doing his Bible study and announced, “We are moving to Austin!” He said it with such conviction and determination. I knew he was right. Still, I was shocked. I thought, “Who is this man, and where did my husband go?” Brett emerged a whole new man that day.
God showed him that he was trusting in his current company to be his provider. Shocked, Brett repented, changed his mind, and decided he was going to act by quitting that job and moving his family to a place with no promised job. God rewarded Brett for his new way of thinking. Just a few days later his company announced that anyone from New Mexico who wanted to leave would be given a six month severance package. They paid us to obey God and leave.
The Next Adventure
We packed our things, arranged for our stuff in storage to be delivered to Austin, and off we went to an adventure none of us saw coming. On June 30, 2015 we set foot on American soil for the first time in a year and a half. It was comforting and strange all rolled into one. I remember as we were in customs in Minneapolis, there was a water fountain on the other side of the line we weren’t supposed to cross. It had been a year and a half since I saw one of those last. The water fountain called to me to take a drink. However, the thought of being thrown in jail or yelled at prevented me from listening. We flew into San Antonio, Texas and stayed with Brett’s parents.
When we arrived we literally had nothing but what was in our suitcases. We had no phones, no car, no home, and of course, no job. The next day we decided to go get phones as we knew those were imperative to getting a job. By the end of the first full day back in America we had phones and a new van. Things were going really well! A few days later we went looking at houses to rent. God blessed us with a really great house in Round Rock. We saw God’s blessing on our new life. We figured getting a job would be just as easy. Boy were we ever wrong!
Smooth Sailing, Right?
It took all of us a month or two to recover and re-acclimatize to being back in the US. Brett finally started looking for a job in August or September. Then in October his grandmother died. We were so thankful he didn’t have a job yet because we were able to just pick up and leave town to see her before she died and then go to the funeral. When we got back I thought, “Ok, now God will give Brett a job.” I was certain a job was just around the corner. I was so very wrong!
Brett applied for jobs, went for interviews, and was told he wasn’t right for the job over and over and over for the next few months. This was a time of great growth in our family. During this time, we were able to put into practice what we said we believed. We said, “God is our provider. We trust him to provide everything we need.”
Still No Job???
As time passed and we walked into Christmas, and a New Year, we were able to know that when we said those things, we actually meant them. Don’t get me wrong, we had moments of wondering if God was ever going to give Brett a job. We wondered how we were going to pay for things when all the money we saved in Ireland and received from the severance package was gone. Still, each day we made the choice to trust God to provide what we needed. You know what? He did!
I know I personally had moments of being angry with God for making us wait for so long. I wanted to know when he would be getting that promised job. My mind could prepare if I knew at least a month in advance. Of course, God didn’t tell me when the job was coming, only to trust him that it was coming.
I now look back at this time and appreciate it. We as a family learned the value of prayer. Each time Brett would leave for a job interview, we would stop whatever we were doing and pray.
We would eventually name this time, Pause and Pray. It’s something we do every morning. We pause whatever we are doing and pray for the day before Brett leaves for work.
Of course, since Brett didn’t have a job our prayers centered around asking God to give us a clear answer if this was the job or not. Each time a ‘no’ came back. We didn’t see it then, but each ‘no’ was an answer to prayer. God was answering our prayers, but he was also doing a work in us.
The Lows of March
Then came March. By this time we had been in America for eight months. We just wanted to actually feel like we could start our new life here. Living in limbo was old and exhausting. Ever feel that way?
There is a company in Austin that does basically the same thing Brett did at the previous company. The downside: they have zero respect for a life outside work. They are based in another country where work is more important than family. We knew without a doubt God didn’t want him to work there. By this time we felt a bit desperate. Ok, we felt really desperate. We were tired. We were weary. All we wanted was to go back to a more normal life. Living in the unknown was exhausting.
Brett ended up applying for a job at the “forbidden” company. He instantly knew he wasn’t supposed to be there when he went in for the interview. He told me later he felt the spiritual oppression in the lobby. Still, he went into the interview.
The job was doing basically the same exact thing he had been doing for the past decade. This job should have been a definite yes, but it wasn’t. He probably would have gotten the job except God was with us. About a week or so later, Brett got the news that he didn’t get the job. It was a blow. We both knew this was not the job God had for Brett. Still, it seemed like it should be a sure ‘yes.’
After all, he had tons and tons of experience doing that exact job. We thought we needed a ‘yes.’ Now, we look back and thank God profusely that they said ‘no.’ That was not the job for Brett. God planned a much better job!
The Highs of March
Later that same month, Brett interviewed for an up and coming company. They were small, new, and to me a huge risk. Brett came home from that interview excited. I hadn’t seen him like that when he came home from any other interview. He was excited by what this company was making. He loved that it was a new and small company. I was afraid that if this company didn’t make it, we would be right back where we currently were. It didn’t feel safe or secure to me. Still, I trusted God. By this time I only wanted a ‘yes’ from the place God wanted Brett to work. I was willing to wait as long as it took.
The people at this company loved Brett. They really wanted to hire him. Sadly, there was a guy who was a better fit for that job. Another ‘no.’ Unfazed, we moved on to the next company.
Our Answered Prayer
What we didn’t know is that God was about to move big time on our behalf. We had to wait another month for the ‘yes.’ At the beginning of May this same company needed a guy to do a job that was being created. This job was perfect for Brett. Not only that, but it also paid more than the first job did. It was as if God said, “Ok, you don’t want to give Brett the lower paying job? You will create a job that allows Brett to do all the fun parts of his old job, and you will pay him more to do it.” On May 24, 2016 Brett was officially hired. It just so happened to be our son’s 8th birthday that day. It was a great birthday present to all of us!
What About You
I don’t know what you are currently going through. Maybe you find yourself without a job. You keep going on interviews only to be told ‘no.’ Take heart. God is with you. He is probably protecting you from working at the wrong place with the wrong people. God is your provider. Just as he provided every single thing we needed that entire year Brett didn’t have a job, God will provide every single thing you need. Trust him. Keep the faith. It’s ok to feel down, and when those feelings come, talk to God about it. He can take it. I promise!
There was a verse I clung to during that year of uncertainties. It’s Philippians 4:19 (ESV),“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” I would repeat the verse over and over and over. I had it as my screensaver on my computer. I put it in places where I could see it regularly. It helped me to keep my mind on the truth and push the lies out. Be thankful for the difficult times because it shows you and those around you that you really do believe what you say you believe. Be blessed my friend.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
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