Seasons Change.

It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything on my blog, but I figured today was as good a day as any to update you all on the changes that have happened in our lives over the last couple of months. Back in July I posted on here about living intentional in a tough season and boy, oh boy do I realize now that we were only in the beginning of what would be the toughest season we've had to face yet. July was the first month that we had to do a partial rent payment so that we could afford the rest of our bills. Our savings were dried up and we had cut back on our expenses as much as possible. September, August, and October were the same. We were paying as much as we could towards rent on the 1st of each month and then paying the rest when the next payday came. We started using my credit card for gas and groceries. I applied for a few jobs that I would have had transportation to since Levi was working 40 minutes away from home and took the car Monday-Friday. Paydays were my least favorite days every other week because it meant I had to go over the budget that we couldn't afford. I was turned down for one of the jobs I had interviewed for and never even got an interview at the other one. Financially and emotionally things were tough. Levi was working hard but not making enough money to support us while also trying to keep me encouraged. While our finances were crumbling around us and our credit card bill kept climbing we did our best pushing on, trying to figure out what to do to turn things around. In August and September, Levi was looking for other jobs to apply to that would pay more but nothing was working out. He had taken days off of work to go to two-three interviews a day which meant that we were making less money sometimes. 

I remember multiple times going to church on Friday nights, standing in the back of the sanctuary because I was ushering, and doing my best not to break down crying because I was so frustrated with our financial situation and didn't know what else to do or where else to turn. I just knew that all I could do was keep coming to church every Wednesday, every Friday, and every Sunday, keep reading my Bible every day, thanking God every day for taking care of us and for providing for us even though it felt like we were drowning. On a few of those Friday nights, a couple of women, who I deeply admire and look up to came to me and prayed for Levi and I. They encouraged me, told me that everything was going to work out and that we just had to stay faithful to God and he would come through. Then, on a Wednesday night towards the end of prayer, Pastor Kathy called Levi and I out. I don't remember exactly when this was, but it could not have come at a better time. She pulled us up on stage and told us that sometimes the road is rocky. Things don't always work out or look the way we thought they would. But the most important thing was that we needed to stick together as a couple and learn to enjoy each other and the season we are in, no matter what season it is. I will never forget those words of wisdom. That night was a turning point for us. We decided that no matter what our finances look like, whether we have a little or have a lot, that we are always going to strive to enjoy each other and make the most of where we are at. 

In mid September, Levi heard from a co-worker that the post office was hiring so he began looking into applying to work there. It seemed like the perfect job to pursue. I remember moments where voices and thoughts would come and tell me not to get my hopes up because he probably wouldn't even get an interview. But then I would remember who God is and that no matter what, there was something else out there for us that would provide what we needed. The next couple of weeks that followed him applying for different positions at the post office are a blur. It wasn't long after he applied that he got an email to go in for an interview. Then, within the next week he had an email about going in to take a test for the job. After he took the test, he got more emails welcoming him to the post office. Within weeks of applying, he had a new job. He found out that he had the choice between two positions and that he had the third highest test score out of the group he was in. It all happened so quickly that he wasn't even able to give a two weeks notice at his last job, it was more like a weeks notice. On October 16th, Levi began training to become a US postal worker. So much happened in the end of September to the middle of October that I can't even remember it all, but I do know that it was nothing short of God's hand in our lives orchestrating every single step. There was no denying that this was the job God had for Levi because everything worked out in perfect timing. By the time Levi got his first paycheck from the post office, we were less than $2 away from maxing out our credit card and we had less than $2 in our bank account. 

November 3, 2017 was our day of redemption. We paid our rent in full, paid all of our other bills that were due, and had enough to pay for gas and groceries. This new season that we have stepped into has been full of changes and some sacrifice. Levi now works every day of the week, with one day off each week. He has worked a few really late nights, and he has had to miss Sunday church, but we know that this is good and that him missing church is also just a season. 

We could not have survived had it not been for both of our families who prayed for us and helped pay for groceries a few times, our friends who treated us to a few lunches and dinners, and a fantastic church body who held us up through the hard months. Throughout the last 4 months we never stopped tithing or giving offerings, that just wasn't an option for us. We continued to give, trust, and believe that God had something more in store for us. We absolutely would not be where we are now without God by our side. We aren't 100% out of the woods yet, we still have quite the credit card bill to pay off, but we are able to pay it off little by little now. All of our bills are paid for, we have groceries, we have gas in the car, and we have extra money to save, buy things that we've had to go without, and even spend a little on things we want. 

The financial principle we learned to live by and will continue to live by is to always give God his 10% of everything we make, pay all of our bills, save some money, and then do whatever we want with the extra that he has given us. Our life motto became "At least we aren't dying. God will always take care of us."

If there's anything I want people to take from our last season it's this, never give up on God. Never stop giving to him what is rightfully his. And when God does bring you out on the other side, keep giving him what is his because you wouldn't be where you are if it wasn't for him.