In August of 2007 I was let go from my previous ministry position due to financial strain on the budget. This really sent Kelly, the kids, and I into a real tailspin of a ride since then. We moved back to Michigan in October and lived with Kelly’s brother for a month. Then we moved into a house owned by some people who were on a short term mission trip in Mississippi for a month. Then, you guessed it, we moved again and this time into a rental house. This was going to be somewhat temporary because we still needed to sell a house in Virginia. Through this whole ordeal, several people were Jesus with skin on toward us during this difficult time; my wife’s brother and family who opened their home to us and our dog (that made 4 adults, 5 children under the age of 6, and 2 dogs under the same roof), complete strangers to us allowed us to stay in their home while they were away, and the people of Cadillac Christian Reformed Church who came along side us and helped pay some of rent to relieve some financial pressure.
We did sell our house in Virginia in January of 2008. Things looked up for us, so we thought. Around every corner, there was a challenge to get this house closed and also some financial pressures we were feeling here as we were still paying a mortgage and rent. So after almost 2 months of challenges that led right up until closing, we finally closed on our house.
During this time, my wife and I were asking God – WHY? As the bills mounted and the bank account dwindling – why? As the challenges of selling a house were magnified – why? As our 3 ½ year old son was asking for a toy we could not get him – why? Why? Because during this time it forced us to focus on the blessings in life, to be thankful for what we do have and to be joyous because we have people in our life that love us very much. God never allowed our children and us to go hungry, we always had shelter and food.
Now in the last week, we really experienced the blessings of God. We got back money from our house in Virginia that we never anticipated getting back. The faithfulness of God in this was that is was enough to cover any debt we accumulated in the last 7 months during this ordeal. We did close on a house here in Michigan yesterday and we thought we would need to bring a significant amount of money to closing. Well, that never materialized and we ended up getting money back from that closing too.
As we come out the other end of a difficult time in our life (the most difficult time I have ever had to go through), there are some lessons we are taking. One is that the Lord uses situations like this to develop character. Now, I am a real character J. Seriously, we have more faith in Christ and know that He is going to be with us no matter what in life. Second is that we came to realize what we really need to focus on in this life, the people around us. I am amazed that God took away money to help us focus on relationships. Third, during this ordeal someone that was helping us told me that they did not want any type of payback, that we are now responsible to pay it forward to somebody else that may need any type of help. My wife and I can honestly say that our hearts are enlarged by this generosity and have determined to be better stewards of what God has given us. Lastly, I would say that I have learned that there are many opportunities to serve Christ in the world. Doors seem to open for us in ways that I could not have imagined a year ago. Only time will tell to see how God is going to us these in the future.
The future is exciting for us! As we celebrate Holy Week this year, Christ’s sacrifice, grace, and love have given us a renewed hope. Easter 2008 will forever hold a special place in our hearts as we get settled into our new home here in Cadillac Michigan and into a new church family. We will anticipate in faith more amazing wonders from the Creator of the Universe!
