Let me say that the last few days have been very hard. With that information let me say this: everything ministry wise is very good and everything family wise is very good. To be upfront things seem to be flowing pretty well in all aspects of life, so then why have the past few days been hard you might wonder.
First reason is that the 23rd is not a good anniversary for me. It was two years ago that I had a normal meeting with my boss and he looked at me and said “You have six months to find another job”. I do not want to go into detail on all of what transpired but I want you to know that there was no moral failure nor any failure on my part at all. Let me put though into perspective a couple of things. One is that I had planned to stay at this place for a long time and had many talks with my boss about me being there long term and even a few weeks before this happened. Another thing is that my wife and I 11 months earlier bought our first home after 16 years of marriage and it was a dream home for us.
We had the six months hanging over our head was a tough thing to deal with. We had to think about things we were not ready for. We had to think about contingency plans for if I did not get another job. What were we going to do with a home that we had no equity in that we needed to sell. How were we going to explain this to our young son but even harder our teenage daughter. There were a lot of blanks to fill in and we did not know how they were going to be filled in. All my wife and I knew at the time this all went down was that we had God and that we each other to get through it.
To go along with this memory of two years ago, there is a connector to this past Friday. This past Friday my wife and I signed our house back to the bank. You see we tried to sell the house when I first lost the job. We were unable to do it and so we rented it but we were not able to rent it for what the mortgage payment was per month. After the year, the renter decided not to stay and so this past July we tried to sell the house again but we were getting no looks at it. So then tried to short sale the house and we thought we had it taken care of when we got an offer but after a month we found out that the bank was denying the offer. At this point we decided there were only two options left, either let the house go into foreclosure or deed the house back to the bank if they would let us. We go word right around the New Year that the bank was allowing us to deed it back to them. We finally go the paper work and held on to it for a week. Friday was the day we signed the paperwork and sent it back to the bank and it was both a relief and a very sad day for us. The irony is that on Saturday morning I got a call from my real estate agent asking me if I sent it back yet because she had an agent that wanted to make an offer.
So with the anniversary of the job loss and the signing of the house back to the bank, it has been a tough few day emotionally for my wife and I.
I want you to know this, there are many positives to this story even though it is a tough thing for us. Let me just list off a few of the positives. My wife and I were blessed to move to where we are at now and we love it. We love the church, the people, the community, and to be honest, God has blessed us. We have seen spiritual revival in our own lives. We are blessed to have a place to live with giving our house back to the bank. We have been blessed to have a good friends who were there with us through it all and others who watched over the house because we now live in a different state. God has weaved a whole lot of good into this terrible situation. I do not believe that God caused all this – I believe it was the choice of my boss - but I do believe that God is able to take it and use it in my life as well as the lives of others. God is always good!
Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
What good is God weaving into tough situations in your life?
Thanks for sharing this Jim. I had been praying for the selling of your house. Reckon I got my answer. Bummer about the too late offer. But then again maybe it would have fallen through also. While I was struggling spiritually lately, something has happened that has awakened not only my need for a deeper relationship with God but also has awakened the church and has pulled us together. I have prayed for a stronger and more united church and that seems to be what has happened. Makes me also wonder about the “sin in the camp” thing that God dealt with in Achan. It is ironic that we celebrate anniversaries in so many different ways.
Thanks for the continual prayers Bill. It is amazing how God works and moves and weaves things together. Achan’s sin is an interesting thing to ponder in all this.
Jim, I’m sorry about that man. Four years ago, April and I left jobs where we made close to 200K to move back home and go into ministry. We ended up signing one of our vehicles over back to the bank as well. It’s been three years since that day. It was tough and in a lot of ways I can relate to your story. But God will bring good in this.
Michael – as you commented today on my comment on your blog – we have some real similarities to our stories. God has already blessed.
Thanks for your prayers and friendship.
I’m glad our paths have crossed Jim.
He is good! I’m glad you’re able to see him working in the midst of this tough time.
Our church is seeing a really cool period of growth right now. And we’re about to launch small groups, which is awsome. So, yeah, God is on the move!
That is awesome to hear Mo! Make a difference for Him in Detroit!
his will be done!
funny you wrote about this today. I just got my house in Illinois rented out today! it’s been sitting empty for 2 years! it’s for like half of what we wanted, but the tenants are Christians, and people we know and trust. And half is better than nothing, by far.
Congrats on the renting it!
Really appreciate your transparency here bro, I know that has to be extremely difficult. I will be praying for you and your family.
I’m glad you shared Rom 8.28. My father n law, and spiritual mentor used to say about that verse, “every time I look, it’s still in the Book!”
Blessings!
Thanks for the prayers. I has been difficult but God has blessed us richly along the way.
Love the thought from you mentor – “every time I look, it’s still in the Book!”.
Appreciate you stopping by and commenting today.
Jim, that is tough. Sorry that you’ve had to go through that. In my personal time I just finished reading through Joseph’s life and can’t help but think of all the things he went through and in the end, “….the Lord meant it for good.” I appreciate your transparency.
My wife has gone to the story for Joseph with has happened to us from the beginning. God has used this in our lives and is working and moving and blessing. Thanks Dustin.
Jim, your vulnerability and openness is astounding. It has lifted my faith in God this Monday morning. I’m sure it will help a host of others who are going through (or have gone through or will go though) tough times.
Your post almost reads like a Psalm of David. A lament mixed with hope.
And like Artie says above, “everytime I look for Romans 8.28, it’s in the Book”!
Scott – when I started writing the post I was not sure how it was going to go I just knew I needed to share it for a number of reasons. A Psalm of David comparison – I will take that
!
I am glad it lifted your faith this morning. I loved that line by Artie also.
Thanks Scott.
>>What good is God weaving into tough situations in your life?
He is weaving His thread of Fatherhood into the torn tapestry of my former life as a spiritual orphan. It’s an ongoing work. Yesterday He added the color purple to symbolize His Kingship and Lordship over me. I think it looks rather regal. When He is done I will be more beautiful and awesome than Joseph’s coat. Actually, when He is done, ALL of us will be that beautiful, yes?
Looking at your post as a whole, I would simply say, as a son of God who has no illusions about life this side of Heaven:
Stand down for a moment, man of God, and rest in Him. He is faithful, true, and full of love. Tomorrow will get here when He is ready to bring it, so enjoy today and rest in Him. It’s okay. Today is His for you.
What is He weaving? Sacrificial fellowship = Loving and helping those facing tough times and choices beyond simple platitudes and prayers.
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