Wednesday, May 07, 2008

That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

At least I sure hope it does. Stephen lost his job Monday. I won't go into all the details here. They are still fresh, and honestly they still hurt. We are moving on and ask for your prayers. He has already applied for around 10 positions, some close to home and some not. Right now, he just wants a job.

The one thing I keep telling people, much to their disbelief, is that I am not worried or scared about this. We have been through this two times before. We have NEVER lacked anything. Whether is has been through our family helping us out, our friends supporting us, praying for us, whatever, we have always had our needs met. So, when this happened, strangely enough, I had peace. I hated that it happened, and I hated the circumstances around it, but I had peace. Peace that I know only comes from God. He is our provider. We will keep trusting Him and seeking His will for us, and He has promised to take care of us. So I am not worried about that part.

Please pray for Stephen. Pray that a job comes our way quickly. Pray that God protects his heart. There are some close to us that seem to only want to point out his faults and failures and not let him move on from past/present mistakes. It really isn't very helpful. In fact, it is very hurtful. We are dealing with it. Pray that we will deal with it the way God wants us to, whatever that is. Pray that if I am supposed to work, something will work out that doesn't involve me paying for child care. Pray that the kids won't be scared or worried. Pray that Stephen and I will be able to comfort them and show them that we have faith God will provide, that we can show them their home is stable. Pray that whatever lesson we are supposed to learn through this will be obvious. Pray that our eyes will be open to Him and that we will be looking for God, we will be looking for His will, and we will be looking for what He wants us to know.

If you are a family member, and you didn't know yet, I am sorry that you found out this way. It is still very new (Monday afternoon was when it was official) and we just are exhausted from talking about it, dealing with the consequences and trying to come up with a plan.

We love all of you and covet your prayers right now.

10 comments:

Mary Alice said...

I am crying as I read this. Not because I don't believe that you guys will be FINE or that God will completely meet your every need. But because it is all to real to me.

As you probably know, Phillip lost his job 2 weeks before Jack was born. And was jobless for eleven months. He got a job FINALLY and then that company downsized, so he was jobless again 2 months later. Reading your words, I feel all of that again. Over four years after the fact, we have to be careful not to think about it too much becase it still hurts badly.

I am so sorry that there are some who are making this more difficult on you and Steven than it needs to be. You have a wonderful husband who loves you and does his very best to provide for you and your beautiful children. That fact, and the fact that God is present even when it feels like He is far away, are the only 2 things you need to know right now.

I will be praying HARD for all of you. And if there is anything else I can do, PLEASE ask. Because I have been there and I love you all!

Party of 5 said...

Loving you, praying for you, ready to take up for you and not worried about any of you! I have seen your faith and endurance at work. There is not one doubt in my mind that you guys will pull out of this!

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry to hear about Steven's job. We have been there ourselves a couple of times, and it truly is the hand of God that grants you peace and helps you make it through.

Taft is a recruiter at Life Point Hospitals; if Steven would like to send his resume to him his email is Taft.Brown@lpnt.net. Even if there is nothing open there that would be a fit for Steven, Taft would be happy to keep his eyes open in regards to his other contacts.
Blessings and peace to you all.

Anonymous said...

I am praying for you and your family. Our family has been through layoffs, and it's not a fun time. But God will get everyone through this.

Anonymous said...

You all are in my thoughts and I wish only the best for your family. I was terribly saddened by the events that unfolded last week. Stephen you have been such a positive role model for me and I wanted to thank you for that. Having only known you all for a short period, I know that your faith in god and love for each other will see you through this difficult time.

Kym said...

I'm so sorry Elizabeth, know that Brian and I will be keeping you in our prayers.
Kym

Rachel said...

let me know if there's anything i can do. you guys are in my thoughts. praying for you right now

Rachel said...

what does steven do? just wondering b/c daren is a recruiter.

Mandy said...

Man, that's not what I expected to read on your blog...I am so sorry! But I'm so thankful that you have peace about this - that's awesome! God will provide...He always does! You and your family are in our prayers and we hope that he finds a job quickly! If there is anything we can do other than pray, we will! Take care!!!

The Unlikely Homeschooler said...

I'm so sorry! We will pray that you are able to look back on this trial in the near future and see His hand at work.