I’m not a pampered woman by any means. I gave that up with God’s help when the law firm my husband worked for downsized to nothing. Well, not nothing – counting him they still had two employees. Admittedly, before this I was, well, spoiled. Vacations, Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo were my normal. It was not healthy and I am truly thankful that God cured us of this worldly sickness, moved us back to the neighborhood where my husband grew up and gave us a lot less money and a lot more life. I had been living in this new existence quite comfortably for 2.5 years. Comfortable – not a place God usually lets you stay for very long. It wasn’t that I didn’t still appreciate some finer things. I had just learned to get them cheaper, less often and in smaller quantities. I gave up my brand new Jeep for a ten tear old minivan. I gave up Kate Spade for a more sensible cross-body bag from REI and my Jimmy Choos usually stay in their box while I rock my Target Converse or AE flipflops bought on sale for $8.00. But, honestly, I’m cool with that. I spend everyday with my two kiddos that I get to homeschool and my husband who works from home.
If this were a cartoon of my life you’d be hearing the proverbial tire screeching right now signaling that some really good thing had just come to an abrupt halt. Just when comfortable had settled into my home again, found a chair at my dinner table and soothed me to bed each night, my husband came home and kicked him out. My husband came home, announced that he would be quitting his job, and working for the church. This was great news – he had wanted to be in ministry for over a year, we’d been praying for this, this was exactly what we had asked for. Well, not exactly. But then again, answered prayers never look just the way you thought they would, do they? Our answer came in the form of an unpaid internship in youth ministry at our church. Foodonthetable say what? We will be fundraising our entire year’s salary. I love giving – help, money, food, time, clothes, just about anything. I am a giver. But, the idea of having to ask people for money and support, for an entire year because we chose to leave a paying job for an unpaid, no benefit job? This thought literally made me feel sick to my stomach. You know how people always say God is stretching you? Well, if faith were like yoga, we were getting ready for straight legs side crow. Not sure what that is? OUCH will suffice as a translation.
So begins our year of stretching: stretching a dollar, stretching our faith, stretching our forgiveness and understanding of one another, stretching our comfort zones, stretching our children. We will have to be more flexible in every area of our life this year – it is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Funny, I have been searching for so long for the perfect topic to stretch my writing muscles. There you go – another prayer answered.
Funny, it’s not how I thought it would look.
PS Many of you have asked: Dominican blog coming soon...promise. Just need time to do it justice. To write a blog about a life changing mission trip in an afternoon is just not possible for this girl.
