God's Consequences

I think that often times I forget just how BIG our God is! I forget that He really has everything under control. He is not surprised by anything that happens in our life. I forget. Which is why retelling stories in our lives are important. Often like in the Old Testament when they would put up altars as reminders to God's provision or leading. It served as a marker, and opportunity to tell the next generation about God's love for His people and how he has taken care of them.
So today I retell a story for my memory, and my kids.

I had been working at Buckhead Church for 4 years and we were pregnant w/ our first child Caroline. I think I knew before I was even married that once I had children I wanted to be at home with them. Jason knew this desire, but it scared the heck out of him financially. If I left full time work, then we would loose over half of our families income. I think as soon as we found out in late July that we were pregnant, I wanted to decide right then if I was staying home or not. Jason, couldn't talk about that possibility yet, and said we would talk about it in January. January!? Ok...submit to him on this. No problem.

So I began praying about and thinking about how could I possibly leave KidStuf. Leave the stage again...yet I knew in my heart I was supposed to be home with Caroline. In mid November we had a conference at our church called Drive. I was at the back of the auditorium listening to Charles Stanley in one of the main sessions. What I heard him say has stuck with me since then as a reminder about God's leadership. He said, if God is asking you to be obedient with something, he is assuming the responsibility of the consequences of what he is asking of you. Well...there you have it. If God was asking me to stay home, then he was assuming the responsibility that our income would decrease by more than half. He would not let us loose our home, or food. We might have to adjust some things (a lot of things) - but He - the God of the universe was taking on those consequences...not me. That was so freeing to me. Now fast forward to Dec. 31...I have been dying to talk to Jason about all of this, but I had waited. I said...he babe tomorrow is January, so in my mind that means we get to talk about me staying home w/ the baby. The next day came, I brought it up and Jason immediately said No to me staying home. I was crushed. And I got a little feisty.

Let me pause in the story and mention something. I am a strong, opinionated woman. I am a leader and sometimes it is difficult for me to let Jason lead. I pause here to say. I do believe that Jason is the head of our home. But I also believe the Lord has made me a leader. He has made me w/ a brain, and sometimes, there is cause for the wife to lead her husband - respectfully of course. So, I said...

Jason, I will totally submit to you on this if you can tell me you have prayed about this and that this is what you feel the Lord has said is best for our family. He paused and said he hadn't prayed at all about it. I asked him if he would please take the next few days and pray about it and then could we talk again. He said yes. Two days later he came back to me and said that I was supposed to stay home. He wasn't sure how all the numbers would work. None of it made sense on paper...but somehow I was supposed to stay home.
Jason was right. It didn't and never has worked on paper. But I look back over the past 4.5 years and I see how the Lord has assumed the consequences of me staying home. There has been steady contract work for me to do to bring home some extra money. And this past year Jason got a promotion. I am blown away by God's bountiful blessing.

So here is my marker for this kids. God asked your daddy and I to be obedient. This is what was right for our family. Obedience to authority is hard at 2,5 and 30. But God's bountiful blessing is just on the other side of Jordan.

What are your markers that you need to make sure you tell your kids about...and tell them often. God loves. God provides. God leads. Will I accept, receive, and follow? Will you?