The Gift of Preparation

The more I realize that our present circumstances are actually a gift from God, the more excited I become! Not that everything's perfect, because it's not. The "need to know" part of me would like to have all the answers right in front of me, but I'm learning it's okay if they're not. In the meantime, we've been given the gift of preparation.

True, the announcement of the plant shutdown was a surprise. Perhaps it shouldn't have been, but we've had reason to believe lately that we'd gotten past the rough patches. Like most people, we're shaking our heads because it just doesn't add up. Still, even though we were surprised, we know we've got several months before R is unemployed. Praise Jesus, he didn't walk into work only to be told to go home for good! We're not exactly certain how long we have, but we know he'll get paid through the end of the year. We're praying to make it through R's employment anniversary in March (to help with severance), but the timeline has yet to be established.

The good news is, we know it's coming. The news caught us off guard, but the loss of income won't. We have time to pray about the practicalities of trimming the excess, paying down debt, and putting money aside. We have the luxury of seeking God's counsel in our finances and waiting for His guidance. I'm so grateful that we found out before Christmas and the extravagant spending!

My friend Joanne is in the midst of The Gift of One Year, which is exactly how this time feels to me. (Don't you love it when God starts impressing things on your heart well in advance, and you're not sure why, but then it all makes sense? Joanne's post resonated with me and I didn't understand why...now I know!) The prospect of starting over and changing the way we live is exhilarating (even if it is a little scary!) The opportunity to consecrate this time and make it an offering to my Jesus humbles me beyond words.

And the gifts just keep coming...