Making my list, checking it twice....

The Maynard Family is going on month five. Five months of being a one income household. I have to say up til now things have gone pretty smoothly. This week, though, was a real humdinger. :) I think the reality of the saturated job market, Devon's end of football, the ever slimming budget, and the pressures of life collided into one big train wreck at our home. Don't freak out -- we're cool, I just want to be real. Life's been hard this week.

For the past year, Devon & I have bragged to one another about how fabulous our marriage has been. I guess after 12 years of being together, our lives together finally seemed to meld. Don't get me wrong, if you've been around us you can hear us banter, but especially in this last year we have really hit a pinnacle of satisfaction and comfort in one another. We also feared that where the Devil sees spiritual success he will attack fiercely to tear apart. Reassuring one another and keeping our spiritual shield up, I think these past five months we have handled the pressure of joblessness well. Since 80% of divorcees cite financial problems as the culprit of the failure of their marriages, I know Devon and I have to protect our marriage with a vengeance. I am so grateful that our troubles have kept us clinging and not fleeing from one another.

The day after Devon was laid off, I started a list on my phone notes. I titled it "Blessings from God". I knew at that moment God would provide for us, but I did not want to forget all the little things that he sent my way. This week as we've dealt with our struggles, I have returned to my blessings list to remind my self of the great Jehovah Jirah who foresaw the unforeseen and began providing before we could even know our needs. I thought I would share a few of these blessings with you today....

• No more Oklahoma Tax Commision payments - We paid off our taxes with Devon's last paycheck (OTC is a long story, I can share with you another time, just pray you never owe them money) :)
• Severance pay & unemployment
  
• Affordable insurance through my job
• Qualified for reduced lunches @ kids school
  
• Opportunity to pursue ministry
• Alter Prayer with Friends (some great friends of ours inspired us and wept with us as we looked with fear into the future)
• PAID OFF OUR TAURUS
• Giving to church and to others in need
• Kids Relationship With Their Dad (he is now their before and after school care, if I happen to pick them up from school, first question is Where's Dad?)
• Regaining our spiritual foot hold
• Gift cards given to us by friends
• Demonstrating faith in action to our children
• Enjoying the simple things
• Love and Prayers of our friends
  

This is an abbreviated list, but you can see how God has blessed us in the midst of our troubles. I know this week has been tough, but we haven't lost our footholds, we put ourselves in the rock of Christ Jesus, who even if we have nothing, will be our Everything!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.