[Written by William Monroe]
On a Friday, a little over 8 years ago, I lost my job. I was working at a startup company in Iowa and the company finances were such that I was laid off along with another person or two to help the company’s balance sheet. My boss at the time had said I could come back and get my things, but I wasn’t too crazy about that idea. I already felt the disappointment, shame, and guilt that went along with the situation. So even though I had biked to work that day, I packed up my desk and you can imagine the sight I was, with a backpack full of books, pedaling drearily back to our apartment.
I didn’t know what I was going to do. I went home and walked the dog and waited for Alicia to get home from her job.
2 days later, we found out that Alicia was pregnant with our oldest, Adeline Rose. We were excited…
…and terrified.
We had no idea what we should do. Even though technically I still had insurance at that time, we did not want to use our declining emergency funds if we didn’t have to. We called and set an appointment at the Iowa City equivalent of Sav-A-Life.
We were able to get an appointment that following week and went in together. The staff were so loving and accommodating and were overjoyed to come to our aid in the difficult situation in which we found ourselves. When we saw our bouncing, dancing jellybean on the ultrasound and heard her heartbeat, we felt great relief. When we left, they prayed with us and didn’t allow us to leave empty-handed, we had a full bag of items for the new life that was entering our family soon.
In 2nd Corinthians, the Bible says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”
We felt crushed and forsaken after the job loss, but God certainly lifted us up through the ministry that aided us at the beginning of the pregnancy and through our friends and through the church.
God absolutely knows what is happening in our lives. He absolutely cares. He absolutely has plans to care for you.
