In the past few months Chad and I have finally entered a new season of our lives. We have many blessings compared to most, a loving family, a house, I have a good job, lots of supportive friends. But for us, the past 2 years have seemed like a never ending season of disapointment and dead ends. You know the statement, "When it rains, it pours?" Well, that's how we have felt for quite awhile, getting dumped on with lots and lots of rain.
Almost 2 years ago we had a streak of bad luck with things going wrong at the house, almost seemed commical that every day seemed to be something new. Then, with out any warning, Chad came home to tell me had been layed off from a job we were sure was a "God thing" and would last for many years. We were dumb founded, what do we do next? We sought God like never before wondering what He had in store for us. No answer. We prayed about new jobs and new oppurtunities. No answer. We begged and pleaded for something great to fall out of the sky. No quick answer. As a wife, watching your husband go through that is excruciating and you don't even know how to encourage, but my husband stayed strong for me and always had a good attitude and wouldn't let me sit and feel sorry for ourselves or stay negative. He encouraged me constantly that God never leaves or forsakes us, and that we wouldn't end up on the streets, He would always provide.
February came low and behold we totalled our nice car that was almost paid off. We sucked it up and started sharing a car for a year (it really killed my husband because not only was it a chevy, red 2 door, it constantly had things wrong with it). But it got us where we needed to go.
Another hard year passed of Chad looking for work, sharing a car, and after many tests, some treatments, and agonizing months, not getting pregnant and discouraging reports (that's a whole other post). We held tightly to Jer 29:11 "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 a hope and a futre". How could we not think that one day this would all turn around.
Finally we had a glimpse that our rough season we had endured was about to end. On February 16, 2011, I will never forget, we found out I was pregnant. Now, you may ask yourself, is that really good timing with everything we were going through and Chad not having a job? Perhaps, but we knew with out a shadow of a doubt, it wasn't our timing (that would have been 2 years ago) it was God's. And it gave us a new sense of hope we hadn't had in a long time. As we prepared for baby and time went on, sure there were times I thought, holy crap what are we doing having a baby if we can't afford it. Or Chad would have to be a stay at home dad (which granted is great for parents who can afford that). Around the sane time my Pastor had a message on prayer and I read it in my daily devotions, to pray for thins according to God's will. This was a little bit new to me, I had been praying for everythign I wanted and thought was best, but never was saying, God if this isn't your plan for my life please close those doors we so badly want wide open. My attitude started to change about disapointments and things that weren't going our way. Once again, after Chad interviewing for many jobs and not getting even the ones we thought he was a shew in, he got a job that was far better than any other one he had interviewed for. We look back and see why God's plan wasn't for him to get those jobs he would have stopped looking and never found the one he ended up with.
This past week, we finally got our "family car" we have been waiting 2 years for. In a month we have our daughter joining our family. The blessings in the past few months keep flowing in and we are reminded that God never leaves or forsakes us. And as my mom has said to me through all of this "God's never late, just remember that".
