November 1st is a bittersweet day for my family.  6 years ago, on this day, my husband was laid off from his job.  He worked from home and was notified by his boss that he needed to go in for a “meeting”. On his way back home, he called me to say that he wanted to stop by my work for a few minutes  He knew that I was on my lunch break so we could talk.

We were both completely blind sided by the news.  I have to be honest, my first thought was “But, God, we tithe. Don’t you take care of those who put you first?” He was good at his job and had always had favor with his bosses. He was very comfortable in his role.  At the time, my son was almost 18 months old, and he and I were on my husband’s health insurance plan.  I didn’t work enough hours to qualify for health insurance. We had just refinanced our house a week prior- a process that had taken us 3 months to complete- which had actually increased our monthly payments.  Thanksgiving and Christmas were coming.  It was the end of the year- we knew that no one would be hiring or interviewing during November and December. This timing could not have been worse.

We didn’t panic.  We remained steadfast.  We sought counsel with those around us who had been through this before.  He was given  a severance package. We purchased an independent health insurance plan.  I was working 2 jobs at the time, and when I told one of  my bosses, he kindly told me to work as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted.  Things were going to be okay. We plugged along like nothing had changed.

Thankfully, our unemployment season was brief. Within a few months, he got a job with the same company, in a different department.  The new role came with several challenges along the way- travel, certifications, tests, re-tests. It definitely pushed him out of his comfort zone, for his own, personal betterment, and just a few months ago, he was promoted to manager of this team.  A new role for him that has definitely stretched him.

There are so many details in this story that demonstrate how God’s hand was with us on this journey. For example, when he started his new job, and we cancelled our independent health insurance, the insurance company actually sent US a refund check.  What we thought was such a devastating turn for our family turned out to be an amazing blessing for us.

In all of the ups and downs of life, one thing that I can say about my husband is that he starts his day the same way.  The entire house could be falling down and for the first 20 or so minutes of his day, he is in his office, face down, talking to his Father.  He does not waver in this.

I write all of this to say that you may be in one of these seasons where you feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you.  Life as you know it looks completely different.  Stay calm.  Talk to your Father.  Get face down, because you can only go up from there.  ~Shiney

“And You who hold the stars
Who call them each by name
Will surely keep, Your promise to me
That I will rise, in Your victory!”