A Part of Our Story

My husband was a chimney technician and had a bad stove lift. But, since his back had some arthritis in it, it was declared a previous injury, so we weren’t able to receive any workers compensation for it.

But, we did have savings. Technically it was for a kitchen remodel, it now became our emergency fund, and this was our emergency.

Even though we were already watching where our money went, we looked at our finances again and had to decide what more we could cut. Can we buy groceries for just $100 a week for all of us? What can we actually live without?

So, our shopping habits changed drastically. They had to. We cut everything out that we could. We found clothes and toys to sell. We looked around our house and found more things to sell. A worm farm. Old pallets. A dresser.

But to be honest, after 1.5 months of my husband looking for a new job, I almost gave up hope. I asked my husband what he thought we should do. Would I have to go back to work? For us, me staying home with the kids has always been the only option.

I thought he was going to say, “You might have to”.

But, he didn’t say that. He said, “Have faith Jillian, God is going to provide for us”. We kept praying. We kept having faith that our bills would be paid for, that a job would be found. That I could continue to be at home, something that I felt called to do.

And then, when it seemed like we were completely out of money, Matt found a job that could provide for our family.

When all of our human hope and strength were at depletion, it allowed for complete reliance on our Heavenly Father. He pulled us through. He provided for our family when it seemed like there was just no way.

Being on one income can feel like that sometimes. It is a complete step in faith. It is a step in the dark ,especially when society says it’s impossible. Frequently though, right there in the struggle, is when miracles can happen. When money can stretch further that it should, or when gift cards are mailed to your doorstep anonymously.

If staying home is a calling on your heart, God will help you find a way to do it. It might not make financial sense. It’s not always a numbers game. It might just be a faith game.