In January, my husband was the General Manager of a local restaurant where he worked days, evenings, and weekends. As a full-time working mom of 2 under 2, I was struggling to keep it together. Exhaustion doesn't even explain it, and "single mom" was uttered from my lips more times than I would like to admit (I am in no way saying I am a single mom, and I truly have no idea how you singles do it, kudos to you!). My husband was complacent in his job, so he wasn't looking for other opportunities even when I would beg him to try and find something else (usually after he closed 2 nights in a row during the week, and I had crying babies all around me). Then it happened, it hit the fan.
It was the end of January and my husband got the flu. He got a doctor's note for work and then was out for several days (in restaurant industry, there are no sick days, someone has to cover your management shift if you are out). By Wednesday he was starting to feel better and closed down the restaurant that night and the next night, he was also scheduled to work that Friday night as well, but had the weekend off at least. And thank goodness, I was "single mommy" to 3 kids that week! But then, the inevitable text from his boss came Friday afternoon: You're going to need to work Saturday and Sunday to make up for your missed shifts this week.
My husband texted me at work informing me of the text he'd gotten and how upset he was. He was so frustrated that time and time again he was working nights and weekends away from his family and was missing out on spending quality time with our boys. I remember reading his text and hearing the frustration. I immediately texted back: why don't you just quit.
Wait, what? Did I just type that? Am I telling my husband, the bread-winner, to quit his job? I'm a teacher....in North Carolina....I am POOR! What am I doing? (God??)
I started looking at our bank account, and realized between our checking and savings we could survive without his paycheck for a while.
Wait, what? Why am I looking at this? (God??)
I printed out our bill calendar, started calculating and realized it really was possible.
I left work as soon as the bell rang, and my husband met me at the door.
"Seriously, just quit. Here are our statements and bill calendar, we can make it work."
Wait, what? Are these words really coming out of my mouth? (God??)
Excitement hit! My husband felt joy! Then he became uncertain..."You support me doing this? Just up and quitting my job?" I really did, I truly believed the timing of his illness and the requirement to work yet another weekend, was a sign from God. God had been whispering for me to support my husband and help him transition from a stagnant job this whole time.
My response, "Go into work today and give your notice." I read his face and knew that this was what he wanted to do, but there was still uncertainty. He hadn't applied for any jobs, he had nothing out there waiting in the wings. He asked me to pray with him. We joined hands and began praying to our Heavenly Father, asking for guidance and for Him to speak to my husband and tell him if this was the right move. If this is what He was asking of us. After our prayer, my husband left for work still unsure of what his next step was. I remember telling him as he walked out the door, "You will have an answer when you pull into your parking spot."
Fifteen minutes later, I got a call. My husband called to tell me he knew what to do and was walking in to give his notice! Let the application process begin.
We were blessed that we could still afford childcare which gave my husband the opportunity to apply for jobs full-time and schedule interviews. He was unemployed for just over a month. his last day was February 12th and he was offered a job on March 18th. Fun fact: This job was the 1st one he had applied for! Another fun fact: During the interview, the owner mentioned how he serves in his church and the phrase "family-oriented" was used multiple times.
Since starting his new job, my husband has been praised and appreciated more than in his previous career. And to top it all off, this job has provided a financial raise that we couldn't have foreseen.
Pause: I'm not here to brag about money, I'm here to brag about God. He is the one who provided the guidance, He is the one who provided the finances while we lived on 1 salary, He is the one who is increasing my husband's potential.
We prayed: And He gave us the best answer we could have ever imagined.
My husband is home every night and weekend now. My husband is serving in our church because he is free on Sundays. My husband is watching our boys grow and is molding them into godly young men.
If you feel like you're in need of a change, I urge you to pray and ask God for guidance. He will fulfill all of your needs beyond what you can imagine.
