My Husband Was Laid Off - Our First Day of Freedom

 

Good morning friends 😀

It's early o'clock this morning and I'm up having my first cup of coffee, not able to turn my mind off. 

Today is the first day of a new beginning for David and I, as he was laid off from his job of 8 years yesterday.

This is actually an answered prayer. The job was the most stressful job he's ever had and it has caused my husband a tremendous amount of stress over the years. But, like a bad relationship, sometimes you stay because it seems the easier thing to do and sometimes the Lord has to do something dramatic to move you, since you won't do it on your own.

So, here we are, our first day of a fresh start.

We've been here before and God has always - 100% - taken care of every single need. 

David's first layoff was when our oldest son was 3 years old. We had just come back from a weeklong vacation in Tennessee, which was remarkable anyway, because we didn't have much money back then.

When David went to work the next week, he called me on his lunch break and said he was coming home because he had been let go. Being married to a jokester, I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. By noon that day, he was unemployed. 

God took care of us then and I remember saying that I wanted our experience to end up as part of our testimony, and it has. It made David a better boss and he knew how to treat his employees because of his own experience.

His next layoff was just before our 2nd son was born. We were about to have our 2nd child, I had just started homeschooling Ted for kindergarten and we were right in the middle of selling our house. It couldn't have been a worse time for moving, finding a new job and giving birth, but there we were.

That turned out to be such a blessing in disguise, because we had two deaths in the family during the months that it took for David to find a new job and had he not been at home, we would have had a hard time navigating those few months and family needs. 

Fast forward from there, for the next 10 years, he had a very amazing career with a wonderful company, until they weren't. My husband works in health care and in case you're not familiar, it's a cutthroat world.

His company sold out and all their top executives were fired. That was the point when we realized that all the accolades and awards hanging on the office wall mean nothing to the ones holding the big check they get when they sell out and leave the employees hanging. It was a harsh blow.

But again...God. 

This current job he just lost has been a nightmare from day one...8 1/2 years ago. David started the office from ground zero.  No employees, no patients, barely an office and he built it, piece by piece, until yesterday, where he had 97 patients and 43 employees.  But, when you have bad management, you can do all of that and it will all come crumbling down because you can't control the people at the top. When the people above you continue to make bad decisions, all you can do is hang on for the ride and hope for the best.

But...God.

Again.

My kids and I have been begging David to quit for years. But we ultimately knew that he was the one who had to feel peace in making that decision. But sometimes God nudges you and if you don't make the move, he will make it for you. And that's what happened this time.

As always, I pray it makes him a better boss next time. I pray it will solidify, in his next choice of work, what he will stand for and what he won't. And honestly, I hope we can kiss healthcare goodbye for good. As much as it's full of good samaritans, it's also full of regular old, hate filled, miserable people as well. 

I'm so glad we have other times to look back on and remember how the Lord prepared us and took care of us, because those are the times we draw from when we need strength for the days ahead.

I know I will look back in a few months and see all the ways the Lord had his hand on the little details, such as how I was starting to feel the need to really get organized in our spending and cutting back on eating out and just other household things that I've felt led to do lately. That's what God does.

He begins to lead you in the little ways and when it's time for the transition, you can look back and see how it all added up to the big event. 

So now, our first day at home together, I will make him a big breakfast and I imagine he will be getting phone calls most of the day and answering questions from friends. He already feels less stressed and the girls are all excited that Millie Day has now turned into Millie and PawPaw day tomorrow. And you know what? We are too.

I can't think of a better celebration than being with our babies, playing at the park, taking them to get "cheese hamburgers" and ice cream at DQ. 

The job hunt can start next week. This week we rest, play, have coffee on the back porch, and give God all the glory for what he continues to do in our lives.

And all will be fine.

Please pray for God to speak to us in ways we can understand and lead David to a place where he can truly thrive. For that, I will be so grateful, my friends.

Until Next Time...

Blessings!