We started the year off with theWife being unemployed and having been so almost half a year at this point and I was on the verge of handing in my resignation for a pastorate. It was a time of trust and worry. We were going to be completely without an income very soon.
Thankfully, upon the handing in of my resignation, theWife was given an offer for a job. This was the lifeline that we were given and held on to. This was also the time when I had to reorient myself. It was a time of self-reflection and resting from the pastorate and moving myself on to the next phase of ministry and calling. All seemed well, it wasn't a lot but we were taken care of. It was an extension of grace.
As summer rolled around, the company that theWife was working with started to experience financial difficulties due to a downward economy and upper management direction and she was once again faced with the prospect of being unemployed. The notice came right at the end of summer. And once again we were back at the point that we feared most, with completely nothing coming in.
Yet this time was also a joyous time. It was the older one's first day of school. He was now officially a Kindergartener at an Elementary school, rubbing shoulders with the older kids. It was great seeing him learn, play and start experiencing life away from home.
With all that had happened, we ended the last quarter of the year with the both of us unemployed. theWife was interviewing but nothing was holding. And as for myself, the call to plant and start a new congregation was starting slowly but without the financial support of the denomination, although we had the blessings and spiritual support.
It was a hard season. There were many nights in which theWife and I wondered where we were heading and what we were doing and whether what I was doing was the right calling and purpose of life. Through all these, we found comfort and encouragement from friends and families. Our parents did what they could with the little resources they had to help us weather the storm a bit better, since most of our original contingency funds were gone from the first unemployment. We were able to seek advice and direction from those wiser than us. We were supported by a neighborhood of families (read about their support here).
Overall, this was a year with a lot of uncertainty and a lot of questioning. It was a year in which we learned to receive love and support from others. It was a year in which I had a lot of reflection upon those families that are also struggling. It was a year of growth through the discomfort of life (read a bit of it here). It was a time of learning what I was made of, what I was living for, and what I was working toward.
Ultimately, it was a year of faith and hope. Faith that God has a purpose and direction. Hope that God will carry us through and actualize his promises and calling. It was a time in which we learned to pray and depend on Him. Sometimes I wonder where we would have been if we had lost our faith and our hope, or if we never had it in the first place. Where would I have turned during this time of stress and distress?
With the coming of the new year, we had some good news. theWife was given an offer for a job, and I was given an offer for a secular job. This coming year will be different. I will be pursuing my calling and becoming a bivocational minister and church planter. It may no longer be a time of wandering in the wilderness, wondering what is happening. It will be a time of change and building. It will be a time in which we take what we have learned and act upon it.
Some of the lessons learned and actions I wish to do:
- Care more for the families in need. Fight for them, help them and support them during their time of hardship.
- Care for the fathers. Help them learn to cope with their roles as a husband and a father. Help them see the importance they have within the life of their family and that they aren't just their occupation.
- Help people find hope and faith. Help them find an anchor in life that will not be shaken or tossed in the waves of life. Help them find a comfort that will help them through the night.
- Live in trust and faith. Trusting that God has a way and a plan. Faith in continually walking forward even when the light seems dim or contrary to human logic.
So farewell 2016, you have been a harsh year but a necessary year. And on to 2017, may I take what I have experienced and learned and be a blessing to others experiencing likewise.