Yesterday, after the weekly grocery shopping marathon, I found out uncomfortable financial news. A certain part of our monthly funds would be not coming in for all of January, and only a partial amount would come in February. It wasn’t due to us being irresponsible with money–just one of those things with funds making their way through a very slow system in a very strange way. It wasn’t a shocker, as we knew it was coming, but the form surprised us as we thought the financial hit would be spread over the next year.
Considering we have just paid for Christmas and a child’s birthday, the news of the loss left me a little breathless.
I called my husband, who so often functions as God’s breath in my life.
Here’s the deal:
1) I started a new business last year
2) All profits are being reinvested to stimulate growth
3) My husband and I also set a limit on our savings account–when it dips below a certain number, the plan is for me to go get a “real” job
4) We have five kids and crazy schedules and running this household is already a full-time job
5) We really value having a stay-at-home parent and would want that no matter how many kids we have
If you stir all those facts up together, you get a woman who loves her family and wants to be with them, yet who wants to add to the family’s finances and knows a whole lot of change and stress will be coming if she works outside the home.
Boom. This financial hit will make our savings dive below that set limit.
My husband answers the phone. He listens. He advises how to move money around to Bandaid the hit. He says he loves me. We hang up.
I come home after taking a daughter to dance practice and find flowers on the table.
And a note.
You are the flower that makes our family so bright and full of love! I love all you do for all of us!
He could have said, “Time to brush up your resume.”
Or, “I’m sorry, but you have to find some way to make more money.”
Or, “You’ll need to cut back on your business and do something else.”
Instead, he honored me in front of the children. He cherished. He affirmed. He built me up. He spoke of my value. He was God’s breath to me.
You found a good one, Christina. Those little kindnesses are worth their weight in gold.
Thanks, Jan! I totally agree. He loves me in ways I didn’t even know I needed to be loved, as I think of myself as a pretty tough girl.
Love this post, Christina! Thank you so much for sharing it. Blessings to you and yours.
Love,
Leslie
Leslie, after all he does for me, the least I can do is publicly admire him! 🙂 Thanks for coming by. Trying to use this site a bit more … you know how it goes.
Such a sweet gesture. Christina, you’ve got a keeper! 🙂
Keep leaning on God together. He will provide the right path for your family.
Blessings,
Andrea
Thanks, Andrea. Having a man lead me so well on that path is a huge blessing!
Tears!! Good work, Dave!!!! Thanks for taking such good care of my sweet sister!
Kristen, our Daves are GOOD men, that’s all there is to it. And you know how much I love to make you cry!
Beautiful actions and beautiful words to describe the actions. We are so blessed to have these men in our lives.
Thanks for being part of our lives, Cindy!
What a dear man. A man who allows the Holy Spirit to guide him.
I’m teary here and praying God will work in miraculous ways to provide all you need . . . and more.
You are a blessing.
Aw, Bonnie, glad his actions and words touched your heart, as they surely did mine.
What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you, Sue. So glad you came by!
This brought tears to my eyes. What a lovely husband you have! And it sounds like he recognizes all the impact you have, not only financially, but in nurturing, uniting, and growing your family. Blessings on you!
And we’ve only been married for less than three years, which shows me how well God paired us! Thank you so much for stopping in–I felt awkward posting it on the loop, but I know so many writers who have to balance working so hard and getting paid so little with what their families need.
Awww 🙂
I’m also blessed with a man who is willing to do what we need to in order to give me a chance at my writing dreams. It always makes me happy to know others also get that kind of support.
Karin, that is great! Do you ever find yourself feeling guilty to have the support? It’s a temptation I can fall into, instead of praising God for it and praying for unsupported writers.
Great story. We continue to face a similar situation: the tension between me staying home with the kids and writing or finding a job to help the family out (right now we live month to month and so far we have had enough to keep going). Every time I go to my husband and tell him we need me to give up writing and to find a “real” job, he encourages me to keep writing. And he’s right. Usually right after we talk, God provides.
I hate living in this tension, but I know that God is using me to tough others. I just have a hard time trusting, an area I need to grow in. I am blessed with such a faith-filled supportive husband 🙂
What a great example to me and everyone else just how important encouragement and affirmation can be to help us navigate the stresses in our lives! Very inspiring! 🙂
Joan, would you be surprised that “words of affirmation” is my number one Love Language? 🙂
What a true testimony of how faith, love, and trust can be weaved together in a marriage. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, God continues to grow me/stretch me/bless me through this marriage. Thanks for coming by, Elaine!
What a wonderful story, Christina. You are blessed indeed. Thank you for sharing this bit of your life with us. Hugs!
Ann, thanks for being a part of sharing it. Hugs back atcha!