When life gets tough .....

When life gets tough, how do you react?

My husband lost his job last week. After 10 years of faithful service and being on call for anything 24/7, his position was eliminated. His boss told him he done a great job and had no problems with the quality of his work, his work ethic, or his character. They were reorganizing the department and he simply didn't have a job for him anymore.

Wow - talk about a shock. How we handle this situation will tell a lot about our faith. We choose to believe that God is in control. We choose to believe that God will lead him to a good job and one that may even be better for him (in the long run) than where he had been. We are walking by faith because nothing in this situation makes sense. We choose to walk with integrity and not 'bad mouth" the former employer but look ahead to what is to come. We want our daughter to see our faith in God. We choose not to be fearful but to trust in what we can't see.

Is this easy? Not always. It is a deliberate choice we are making. It is not what our "flesh" wants to do. We want to pitch a temper tantrum - but what would that solve? Nothing. So as Paul said in Philippians, we are "forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." In the second chapter of Philippians, Paul says that it is “God that works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Romans chapter 8 says that "God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

If we truly believe this stuff then we need to act like it. We need to "chin up" and go on to the next part of our journey. My husband is doing his part. He is sending out resumes, doing applications, and going on interviews. We trust God to lead us to the next job and we believe it will all work out for the good.