To say it's been a while since my last post would be an understatement! Life has been crazy and I haven't had the time or inspiration to write much. But I have something on my heart that I need to share. Have you ever said The Lord's Prayer? I'm guessing most people have. You know the line that says, "Give us this day our daily bread"? I had never thought much about it until the last several months. Let me back up, in the fall of last year Bart was presented with an opportunity to change jobs. He was content at the job he had been working for the four previous years, but was open to a change and the possibility of providing more, financially, for our family. We were hesitant to take the new job because after an introductory period it would be commission only. We prayed A LOT before we both felt a peace about our decision to accept the new job. Things started out pretty well. Bart was very excited and eager to work hard in his new profession. Anyone who knows Bart, knows he loves talking to people which is important in any sales position. After several months he seemed to hit a wall and was not able to be as successful as he wanted and our funds were getting low. We came to a mutual decision that even though we had prayed about this job and felt God was leading him to take it we needed to begin the process of looking for something with a more steady paycheck. Here is where we come back to the Lord's prayer. "Lord, give us this day our daily bread." When it says daily bread, it means what we need for today, not tomorrow, not next week or next month, but today. Until that point, neither of us had been at a place in our lives that we felt we had to fully rely on God for our immediate needs. We had both been struggling to understand why God would lead us down this path and then it not work out the way we had expected. Finally, one night we sat down to talk and came to the conclusion that God wanted us to learn to trust HIM. Yes, it's important to work hard and do our best in everything we encounter but it's ultimately God who has given us the talents and abilities that we possess. It's God who knows our needs before we can even ask. We went a couple of months with no income and God blessed us and provided just what we needed through our families as well as friends who had no idea what we were going through. It was a very stressful time but we were trusting the Lord to provide our needs and he has done just that! Bart has been at his new job for a few months now and he enjoys it very much. God decided we needed a reminder just this week of how amazing he is. We had discussed over the past couple of weeks that a part-time job would be a big help but Bart's hours are irregular making it difficult for either of us to find something that would fit our schedules. We hadn't even prayed specifically for God to provide a job but He knew it was on our minds. This week Bart was approached about a part-time job that is flexible and should work out well with his schedule. He found out on Friday that he should be starting there the beginning of December. God knows what we need! We are so humbled to serve such a loving God. We often go through things that we don't understand and we definitely don't enjoy but we can be sure that God always has a plan. He has what's best for us in mind. Jeremiah 29:11 is an awesome reminder, 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. As Thanksgiving comes around this year we are thankful for our Provider!
