For Richer or Poorer
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments from yesterday's post. Like a lot of folks today, times are lean in our household. Jose and I watch every penny … as it rushes out the door to keep some creditor at bay. It wasn't always this way for us. Just three years ago we were enjoying the bounty of being paid well from our Roofing business we started when we moved to Nashville seven years ago. Four years of our cup running over. Our income rose over six figures and we loved going on vacations to Florida to lounge around the beach, to Colorado to see family and having the four kids in private school.
We weren't wise enough to put money aside for two years of rainy days. We thought the forecast was always going to call for sunshine. We didn’t listen to Dave Ramsey when he taught Financial Peace at our church and start an emergency fund. We simply didn't think a financial emergency of this magnitude would happen to us. We're Christians; we have that veil of protection, right?
But the trips and contentment came to a crashing halt in October 2008. That was the month we were to move into our brand new house. You know the one with $40,000 in upgrades. When the mortgage market crashed was the day we had to requalify for our loan. There sat our house, completed and no family to move into. They qualified us for half of the amount of the house price. We had to walk away from it and lose close to $60,000 when it was all said and done.
Just think that was October and we were 2 months away till Christmas.
Builders were beginning to drop like flies and mortgage companies were not giving any loans.
How were we going to make it for Christmas if there was no work?
Suddenly, we'd become “those” people. You know the ones I'm talking about- the ones who don't pay their bills on time. The ones who get reported to collection agencies. The ones whose credit scores can be mistaken for dress sizes. The ones who obviously have no integrity about themselves or they wouldn't be in such a financial mess.
We cried out to God. We pleaded forgiveness for our contentment and never saving for moments like these. We pleaded with God that we would be better stewards if we were ever given a second chance. We kept waiting for things to get better—praying and waiting, waiting and praying. I told Jose no Christmas presents for me.
As a new year started, Jose and I yelled, cried, and gone to bed silently sulking. We aren't truly mad at each other. We each want the other one to whip out a miracle wand and make it all go away. He hates feeling helpless. I hate feeling insecure.
Through those years, I learned something as a wife. If I can love my husband in the good times, I can love him even now. Yes, I was happy before because we had money. But, had I really placed my security in something as shallow as money. It’s the hard truth ladies.
The formula can look like this sometimes: Good times + Money = Loving Wife
But what about this equation: Hard Times + No Money = Nagging Wife
As I am writing this it has truly brought a smile to my face. To look back and see how far we have come. That marriage is truly for Better or Worse, Richer or Poorer. I smile because I can look at this financial attack we’re under and know that it has no idea who they are messing with. LOOK OUT because in the stress and worry we can hold onto His Word. And it’s in His Word we are set free.
