There is an Isaac Watts song that has been on my mind off and on for the past several months. The first verse of "Thus Far the Lord Has Led Me On" perfectly describes what we have found to be true in our lives, which is that we've only gotten this far because the Lord has been with us, and if we look for it, we can see evidence of that fact every single day.
When Britt and Ruth were very young Gary was out of work for a long time, it often felt hopeless, and we never knew what to do. But one day someone from the University of Florida reached out and mentioned that he would be a great candidate for a Master's of Agribusiness. It came just days after he was passed up for a position that he had the experience and knowledge for but not the master's degree to go with. Two days later, he had taken the GRE and passed with flying colors despite never having studied. Before the week was out, in the middle of summer, he had transcripts in place from all three schools he attended. We'd applied for and received federal grant money and student loans. And so, he found himself a student about to start classes for a one year, fast-track program due to start in a matter of 3 weeks. If you know anything about the grad school process you will know that this kind of time frame is unheard of. It takes months to get accepted into grad school after courting the professors, let alone get the funding in place and all the paperwork through the process. It has been proven multiple times since then, that master's of agribusiness was needed to open doors of opportunity for our family. The Lord was in the matter and He led us to that program, at that school, at that time.
One time when we were out of work, Gary went to a job interview in another state, on the way home from the airport he ran out of gas. He coasted the SUV down our little dirt road and into the carport late Saturday night. Thankfully, through the providence of God he wasn't stranded between the airport and home at 1 am without gas. The next morning, when the car wouldn't crank, he had no more money to put gas in the car, no more room on the credit card, nothing. His sister picked him up on the way to Church, because there was no gas. The kids and I were in Alabama, where my family was taking care of us while we were visiting. That Monday morning, the job in Indiana called and offered him the job, not only a job though, a job to start immediately making more than we had hoped, and they paid for all of our moving expenses upfront. We couldn't stretch things any further and the Lord led us to that job, at that time, in that place.
Eight years ago, was a particularly dark time for us. Gary was laid off July 15th, and then on August 24th we got word no parent should get, that the baby we were pregnant with had passed away. Two days after her funeral, not even a week after her birth, we sat applying for jobs at his parents' kitchen table. One caught my eye, one that Gary wasn't remotely qualified for as a celery farmer. Despite it being far fetched we applied to it, and to our surprise got it. Though we hated to make the move at the time, it was a blessing to be back close to family again, and it eased my mind a great deal to be near where we buried our little girl. He led us to a new job while providing the care we stood in need of.
There still has been great fear and struggles along the way, about how to pay the bills, how to take care of the kids, how to not lose the house; for all of those days even in the midst of fear and uncertainty the Lord has led us on. We have made all the bills. The kids are ok, even the one no longer with us. We've not lost the house. We've had so many "lucky breaks" that weren't luck at all. And yet, I still sometimes doubt and wonder if He will be willing to see us through yet again. After all, some of His children are in much worse situations than we find ourselves in, some are starving and some lose their homes. "But He forgives my follies past" even my stupid and foolish doubting, and "He gives me strength for days to come." So, no matter what the future holds for us next, I'm confident that He has led us on and will continue to do so. Whether He does that by over ruling the crises in our life or whether it is being with us in them, "My God in safety makes me dwell, Beneath the shadow of His wings."
The hymn I love, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," also contains that message of God's provision and presence and guidance. 😊 "All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me." Thank you for sharing a fresh reminder and a new-to-me hymn!
thank you for writing your thoughts