Stepping Out In Faith

Life has once again taken a very unexpected turn. Since getting married seven months ago today (SEVEN MONTHS??? Time needs to slow down!) I have been spending on average 3-4 hrs of commute time a day. A typical day in the life of me goes something like this...

5:15 - wake up, quiet time, shower, dress

6:30 - out the door to sit in traffic for __???__ hours

7:30, 8:15, 9:00, 7:45, 8:00 - arrive at work. Ok, pause....SERIOUSLY Atlanta?!?!?! How is it that I can arrive at work on average anywhere inside of a 45 min. window leaving my house every morning at the same time? RIDICULOUSLY frustrating.

5:00 - head home

6:15, 7:00, 6:40 - somewhere in there arrive home. It all just depends on the day

7:00 pm - make dinner

8:00 pm - crash on the couch EXHAUSTED while my husband cleans up the kitchen and I attempt to muster the energy to go help him. ..and a lot of nights I just fall asleep till he makes me move to the bed.

Unless you live in a heavily populate area and are a commuter, you don't fully grasp just how draining the stress can be. Being a newly wed and wanting to be the best wife possible, my 14 hr. day work schedule leaves me feeling zapped and having nothing left to give to my husband at the end of every day. It's truly been the most helpless feeling I think I have ever experienced. Which lead Shaun and I to begin seeking the Lord's will in all of this. We have talked, prayed, fasted, talked and prayed some more over the last three months.

Since every day is SO different in arrival time and beyond anything I can ever control (we're talking arrival anywhere from 7:30-8:15 with me leaving my house at exactly the same time every day), my office attempted flex hours to help me out. This only lasted a short time before we all figured out that they really needed someone here consistently during set times. And this lead Shaun and I to much more prayer and discussion. We finally have come to the decision that stress, frustration, exhaustion and 14 hrs+ days and the $3,000 we're paying a year for me to commute just isn't worth it.

Now, that being said...I'm a ducks in a row kind of girl. I've been on my own for a LONG time and I've always taken GREAT pains to be wise with my money and not do anything stupid financially. So when Shaun and I finally realized that I needed to resign in order to be able to look for something close to home, yours truly thought we sounded crazy. I have no job to walk into, it's one of the worst job markets in YEARS, I've known several people who have been laid off and taken months to find work...so, God...WHY? This doesn't make sense to me. All I can tell you, is my husband and I have 100% peace that we have obeyed and done what God has asked of us.

When I turned in my resignation to my boss, I told her I had one of two choices that I could make. Since working here and job hunting 30+ miles away wasn't workable, I could either lie to her calling out "sick" or I could do the honest thing and resign since I didn't feel sacrificing my character was worth any amount of money and I didn't want her last impression of me to be that I lied to her. She appreciated that very much. I personally feel that this was a test from God to see if obedience to Him had a dollar mark on it for us.

We've not just stepped out into faith living at this point, we dove in head first. I know beyond a doubt that God has always provided for me. I saw him keep food on our table and shelter over my head as a teenager for 2 years when my Dad was unemployed, He provided the funds for my education through someone who had no idea of my need, and He has come through time and time again. So, I have beyond zero doubt that he's going to look out for Shaun and I too. We would love it if anyone reading this would pray for us though. We want to be sensitive to God's leading and we are so excited to find out what door God is going to open next!