God's Calling and Juggling Bills
Being a single income household; what do you do at the beginning of the month when there's not enough money to pay the rent? Maybe this is happening every month for the last three months or you have been living this way for the last three years. On top of all this, someone you hold dear asks for financial help. How long can you go on this way?
For some people what’s going on is the desire to be all you believe that God meant you to be. You are working in a place that is a calling and one or two jobs that pay the bills, barely. Here’s what some of you have done to find your calling:
You have taken at least one aptitude test.
Read What Color is Your Parachute? Or LIFEKEYS by Kise, Stark and Hirsch.
Gone to your alma mater’s employment and career counseling office.
Gotten career counseling from a service such as Crown Ministries, that offers an assessment and follow-up counseling https://www.crown.org/
Considered where your strengths and weaknesses are - put out a survey to your trusted friends and family.
Still you are stuck with an income and two or three jobs that don’t make ends meet. Maybe the last person that many, especially thinkers and analytical people, go to is God. You are wondering whether you should just do what you can make money at and forget the whole idea of doing what you truly believe is answering God’s call. One thing that I recently learned that has eased the head trash in my life and created lightness in my soul is Step 11 of Al-Anon which reads:
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.
Are you ready for this step? When I look at God’s provision, what I have experienced is that the money may not be there when I think it should, but it is there when I need it. Part of the equation is tithing off the top. Despite how limited my income, there has been no practice so freeing from financial worries as tithing. What’s becoming less of a challenge is to remember God’s faithfulness through all the years as a single parent. He does take care of those who honor Him as their provider.
The last lesson I am relearning is gratitude. My friends gave me a plaque for my birthday last year that has two words on it. You’ve got it. “Be grateful.” It is not the first time I have gotten a sweet gift that is a nudge to give up my still lingering tendency to worry. This morning that worry was drowned with buckets of blessings from God. My son called and told me about his new job and plans to celebrate Veteran’s Day. Once again Lord, I am reminded how You are at work and I thank you, generous and loving Father of lights. You are the giver of all good gifts. You tell me of Your love through people, all created in Your image, every day. More on gratitude next week.
