…or that’s what we were told. It was more like, “y’all had it all.” (Background: my husband committed a sin that ultimately caused him to loose his job. More on that in posts to come). Sure, my husband worked a job that gave him the ability to use his gifts and talents, and afforded us to live a lifestyle that was a little more cushiony than most. My husband was paid a salary that freed me to be able to stay home with our two children. We lived a life that gave the appearance that we had it all. So, when my husbands sin came to light…things had to change. Pay-cut doesn’t begin to describe the financial strain we were under. We could no longer afford the home we were renting. Gone was the freedom to grocery shop “aimlessly”. Unless it was a NEED, it did not get purchased. It wasn’t just a monetary loss that occurred, there was also a loss of respect, dignity, friendship, status, comfort, etc. All we had was apparently lost. Or was it?
What if, and this may be a crazy thought, but what if the things that we held dear were the very things that God needed to strip us of in order to get us back to a place of TOTAL dependence? I know right? CRAZY! Why on earth would the Lord, being the Sovereign and Holy God that He is, take away EVERYTHING (or what we considered everything)? How would all this “stuff” get in the way of our dependence on Him?
For us, in order to hear God clearly, those things had to be removed. It was even necessary for my husband and I to not be around each other in order for true healing and restoration to take place. Now, we live in a small house with a super tight budget. We can’t do, with freedom and ease, the social things that we used to. Sucky life, huh? Not really. I would say that loosing everything has been the best thing for us and our family. This small house with limited “alone” space has provided the opportunity to have real quality family time and learn to live with each other, instead of everyone going to their respective corners. The tight budget/time has taught us to maximize what we have and really appreciate the “moments”. Loosing everything has strengthened our communication. Before, we didn’t talk, now there is a JOY in talking. Our life is so enriched now that we have nothing!
So I challenge you: How tight are you holding onto your “everything”? Is your status, lifestyle, job, etc that important that you are willing to risk your relationship with the Lord? Because this I know, God loves you entirely too much to let any thing or any one come between Him and you.
…but you don’t have to take my word for it.
**Why the Mike Vick pic? They said he had everything…and he lost it all
