my magnum opus


My children blow me away with their faith. So many times during this season of testing and fasting and waiting and praying, since Greg lost his job and has faced adversity after adversity, when we report these things to our kids, they reply to us with such faith that we are silenced in our grumbling. Today was no different.

For anyone who has only recently come to my blog, I will give a short summary of what we've gone through for the past few years.

While we lived in Virginia Beach, my father-in-law suddenly died.

We left everything to be near mother-in-law and other family in Washington state.

Shortly after we moved there, all our family moved away... back to Colorado. But we decided to stay.

The company my husband went to work for was sold and he was forced out of the Seattle area to his choice of Portland, OR or Salt Lake City.

We chose Portland. Our grown son was on his own already. Our daughter who just graduated high school decided to stay and attend college. So, we went into early empty nest syndrome. It was a time of grieving for me, the mom who had homeschooled them all their lives and wasn't yet ready for this.

A year after we moved to Portland, the company was sold yet again. The new owners changed the sales philosophy and forced all the managers, my husband included to treat their sales people very poorly, driving them hard and burning through them like firewood. It made my husband miserable.

Then, I lost my job. Then, our family dog of 12 years died. Then Greg's mother died. All within three months.

I found another job as the Art Director for a monthly newspaper on a part time basis while I continue to look for full time work. When I couldn't find any, I started my own business.

All the markets for Greg's employer continued to suffer, and many managers were let go, including my husband. This was last December. Since we never wanted to leave Seattle in the first place, we thought this was a blessing in disguise and looked to get back up to that area.

I stopped building my business not wanting to build it up and then leave customers behind. I took a "wait and see" stance, hoping to pick it back up in Seattle.

Greg had a couple of good offers, but they were in other states, so he turned them down, hoping to get on with a company in the Seattle area.

We ran out of the severance money and had to dip into our meager retirement.

Greg took a job as a business consultant with the George S. May Foundation and worked for a month without making a dime. So, he left them.

We took out half of what was left of our retirement.

Greg went to insurance school and got a job with a company (I can't even remember their name now!) who folded a month after Greg started.

We took out the last of our retirement.

Our son got married.

Greg got a call from a headhunter who had a couple of available positions. One didn't turn out. The other looked to be certain. Though it was in Phoenix, so far away from the kids, it was such a good job with good income that we couldn't pass it up. But something happened and he didn't get the job. We still to this day, don't know why... but the headhunter no longer works for the company. Hmmm.

Our money ran completely out. Our daughter was accepted to a private college.

Finally, Greg took a job with the same people who let him go... but who work for a different company. In fact, they specifically went into business to drive the previous company who treated everyone so poorly out. He took a job as a sale person, though he'd been a sales manager for over 18 years. He trained for 10 days and then went to work. It was very humbling for him, but he never complained.

Our daughter had to apply for financial aid. It looked like she wasn't going to be able to afford to attend her college of choice. But, at the last minute, she was approved for financial aid.

That's when I started looking for a job, since Greg got a job here, we knew we were staying in the area. I interviewed several times and had some good opportunities and finally narrowed it all down to the one job I really wanted when...

last Thursday Greg was promoted to be the sales manager of the new Tacoma phone book. So, when I was offered the job I wanted so much on that same day, I had to turn it down. But I was excited to be moving back up near the kids and I was excited for Greg to be doing what he loves to do again. Greg started his new job three days ago on Monday October 25.

Now everyone is caught up.

So, today my husband calls me from Tacoma and tells me this story about how there was a federal court order handed down today for the company he works for to cease and desist all sales activity in the state of Washington. There is a legal battle going between a previous employee who had started her own phone book in North Eastern Washington and who had in her possession a non-compete clause signed by the owner of the company she left, the company my husband works for. When she and this owner had a recent falling out, the owner (against all advice) took a team of sales people into her phone book territory and started a new competing book. She took them to court and won... thus the cease and desist order, that somehow escalated from her little area north of Spokane to include the entire state. This of course not only directly affects us, and our immediate and long term future but that of everyone else in employment by this company in the state of Washington. It is overwhelmingly upsetting for us because it effectively puts Greg out of work again, not to mention hundreds of other Washington state employees.

It reminds me of a scene in the movie, "The Mummy Returns" when the army of the Magi faced the army of Anubis. They fought fiercely and bravely losing many men, but taking out much of the enemy until finally exhausted and spent, the last Anubis head was sliced off and the Magi stood there panting and victorious. As sweat dripped down their faces, some dropping to the sand in exhaustion, they heard a noise and looked over the dunes to see clouds and clouds of black moving their way. It was multitudes and multitudes of more Anubis coming toward them. They all looked at each other in despair because they were utterly spent.

That's how I felt when I first heard this news. With the promotion we were feeling SO victorious. Though, we are now behind a month in all our bills I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I could see how we WILL get caught up and then start building ourselves back up.... until this happened and I now all I could see is this darkness descending upon us. I felt such despair.

When I called my children to inform them and ask for their prayers and support, each of them in two separate conversations said the same thing. "Mom, this is not a surprise to God. He knew about this and He has it all under control."

"Mom, this is a test of your faith. You can do nothing to change the circumstances. This isn't your fight. It's Gods. Turn to Him and watch Him work."

My son said, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. God told Joshua several times to be strong and courageous. And remember when he told that king in the Old Testament, I can't remember his name, but he told him not to fight, but to stand by and watch the Lord fight. That's where you are right now. Sit back and watch the Lord work in this situation, because there is nothing else you can do, no action you can take, but to increase in your faith."

My daughter said, "Mom, I am not worried at all. God has always watched over you and He will now too. It is scary for you because your way of life is being threatened but that's not so bad really. No one has been in a car accident, no one has been diagnosed with cancer, no one is getting a divorce. Count your blessings. And I've got an entire book to read before class tomorrow so I have to go, but you have GOT to listen to Pastor Judah's message from tonight. It SO speaks to what you're facing right now. I love you."

So, I listened to Pastor Judah's message entitled, "Seizing the Opportunity of Adversity." WOW oh wow. This is powerful stuff. And I am so encourage and so excited and so full of faith right now that I feel like I am soaring! Not only are we going to get through this, but WE ARE GOING TO SHINE! Woo!

So, back in the mummy movie, the leader, Artis, raised his sword and shouted "to the death!" to rally the Magi. So, they all rose to fight knowing they would die and they faced that Anubis army with great courage, but just as the army got to them to engage in battle, they dissolved into sand... because the real battle was being fought and was won somewhere else. Pastor Judah described how the Isrealites were in the same situation in that they were just released from slavery to Egypt and set free. They were feeling so very victorious, but then they looked behind them and saw Pharaoh's army pursuing them from behind and the Red Sea in front of them. They freaked out. "Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." And the king my son referred to was Jehosaphat, to which "Thus says the LORD to you:  'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's . . . You will not need to fight in this battle.  Position yourselves, STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD"

At this point, like the Magi in the mummy movie after the army of darkness just vanished, I am standing in shock and awe over what just happened. I had gone to my children, to the very babies I raised, and had shared with them my fears tonight, and they both from their different places,, not only calmed me but filled me with faith and gave me the same message. I am beaming with pride. I am crying tears of joy. They are indeed my magnum opus, my greatest accomplishment and I am reaping the rewards of them right now.

I tell you, parenting according to the Bible, is SO worth it!

Posted: Wed - October 27, 2004 at 11:15 PM           |

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