Life Updates

The past two months have been busy, busy, busy. Janan is pregnant, Trey started school again, I started school again, Legion of Terror at church is coming up, and something else that I can’t say until tomorrow have all kept me really busy. But I’m loving it. I think back to just 2 years ago and I thank God that I made the decision to change directions in my life. I have always been a pretty smart person. I did really well in school (and still am). But for some reason, right out of high school I started doing the factory thing because it was quick money. I was raised in a great home, but I think there was too much emphasis put on money. Immediate success or independence was what was emphasized, and I fell into the trap of making money just to pay bills. It was a cycle that just kept making it’s rounds and it drove me like a slave. It drove me to the point that I saw no benefit and gave up. The result was a repossessed car, collection agencies, and meeting with lawyers to set up payment plans. That lifestyle of ‘success’ left me battered and filled with resentment. But after a few years of being married, being a father, and being in lack has taught me much. I now take pride in the little I do have and don’t try to impress family and friends with new fancy, shiny toys. I recognize true friends in my life who don’t just show up on payday so I can finance a weekend to remember. Now, I’m still learning, don’t get me wrong. I’m still climbing that what used to seem like a never-ending mountain, but I am getting closer to the top. It is nearly in sight. It’s funny though. It seems like I traveled the majority of the mountain when I didn’t even think about it. When I was making an effort to pay this and pay that, it seemed it was all for naught. But when I became thankful for the small things and just lived life enjoying the everyday experiences, all of a sudden it seemed like we were miraculously lifted out of a pit. Most people would look at our situation and would say, “No, you guys are still in a pretty deep pit.” But I know where we’ve come from and I know that God honors His Word. I’ve joked with friends in the past and said that we were so poor that when the recession hit, it never hit us. And it didn’t. I mean, I went without a job for about 8 months, and I couldn’t draw unemployment, so technically it hit us. But we never knew the difference. Our bills got paid, we obviously ate, plus we are now a family of 5 (almost 6), and we’re still standing today. Not only are we still standing, but we are enjoying life. We enjoy the fact that instead of doing things that require money, we can find pleasure in simple things. Instead of going out to a movie every weekend, we go to places like AppleWorks and Nashville and just walk around. Or we find a cheap $1.00 movie rental and make it a family night. This same frame of mind has influenced my decision making when it comes to other areas of my life too, such as my career. Instead of being a slave to the time clock that has you by the b***s, I’ve learned to trust God with my needs. I used to work 40+ hours a week and we scraped by it seemed. Now I go to school full time, and I only work around 20 hours a week. And guess what, we’re still scraping by!!! NO NO! That’s a GOOD thing!!

Now there are times that we’ve had to borrow money from family. But I’ve learned a lot of humility through it. And it has taught me how to act when my children are in this place same place when they become adults. I’m all for teaching them responsibility, but I also know that there are many times God has blessed me through unmerited favor. Therefore my children will be blessed with unmerited favor. They will not not pay their rent/mortgage, bills, eat, etc. I thank God for the times that He has taken care of me and I especially thank Him for taking care of my family. And sometimes He blesses us in a way that doesn’t make sense. The people in your life who you think can, don’t. And the people in your like that you think can’t, do. Either way, I thank God!!

What are your thoughts on this?

Late. @d85jones.