All I can really say is that lately, life has thrown us a few curve balls, maybe even a few too many. Ever hear the saying, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle?", well I don't believe that's true. Actually, I refuse to believe that, because currently, we are walking in uncharted territory and have been on an arduous road for quite some time. I think God gives us more than we can handle so that way we can lean into Him when we are weary and downtrodden. Right now, this is our reality.
Over the past two years, we've made our lives an open book. We've shared with you our ups and downs, and so many of you have diligently showered us with love and prayers as well as offered us a constant source of encouragement. For that, I will never have enough words to express our gratefulness. A thank you will never be enough. What I can tell you is on the days that we are at our lowest of lows, God can still the waters and grant us a deeper peace that comes not of ourselves. Yesterday, after just two short weeks, Stephen left his new job. The one in Houston. The one that we felt called to take. The one that was opening so many doors for us in Houston. Yup, that one. [insert gasp and utter shock] It quickly became obvious that this was not the right fit or situation for him, or our family. So, after a few discussions, he and his company decided to part ways. Yes, pretty scary stuff and major uncharted territory for us. As I'm sure you can imagine, with a terminally ill child, we have to have Heath insurance and ultimately we have to have a source of income. We will stay on COBRA through his previous employer for insurance until he can find something that better suits him and our needs as a family.
So, where does that leave us, especially with the holidays literally around the corner. Well, we are just putting our trust in God and leaning into Him, knowing that he is going to meet our needs. While it is probably the scariest (elective) thing that we are choosing to walk, we know that God will supply us peace by piece. I'm reminded of the story in the Bible in Matthew where Jesus feeds the 5,000 with just two fish and five loaves of bread. As the disciples brought him the items they didn't know how it could possibly feed the crowd. Then Jesus blessed it and food began to be spread about amongst the people, with left overs to spare. Piece by piece, God provided. Piece by piece, the people were fed. Therefore, we believe that piece by piece, God will continue to guide us down this path, giving us peace.
Even when it's hard to believe that this is our new reality, I'm clinging fast to the truth that He is still there, even in the thick of it, even curve ball after curve ball. A friend of mine recently commented that we've had been through some really hard seasons. Jokingly, I replied, it's refinement. To which, is no joke. It's the truth. Refinement is painful but ultimately, when we weather this storm, I want to look back and remember how God met our needs, day by day, piece by piece.
Please please please be in prayer for our family, as I know so many of you already are. Please pray for the right opportunity to arise for Stephen. We still feel called to Houston, especially after Easton's massive health scare just last week. We know it's where we need to be, just need to pray through the details. We will continue to keep you all posted as we learn more in the process.
