The Year 2018-2019 was pretty rough
Honestly, the “rough” parts of 2018 got off to an early start in late 2017 and rolled right into 2018. Almost seamlessly.
The unexpected and untimely deaths of friends and family, unexplainable migraines for me, which rarely relieved themselves, and the clincher; my husband lost his job in early March.
The good news is he found a job about three weeks later. The bad news is, it is three hours away from where we live momentarily. Since we did not expect a job loss, it didn’t give us much time to prepare to move.
We also did not want to move. At the season of life, we are in now, it is extremely inconvenient. We have friends, a church we love, my parents, a good school for our children and a beautiful home.
We came up with a plan for him to start working his new job on the weekdays, then come “home” on the weekends until our house sold.
The weekends he came “home”, we busily prepped the house for the market by making minor repairs and decluttering. You know, the usual things one must tackle to get their house ready for the market.
During the week, while he was at his new job, I would do what I could. Which included some of the minor repairs that I could do without his help.
In July, we were finally ready for the market. We were told the market was “hot” and the house should sell relatively soon.
We also found that buying a Fifth Wheel RV was more budget-friendly than my husband paying rent for an apartment.
We didn’t move into the RV right away, because There are just so many reasons and details we had to attend to, that we decided the best thing for me to do, was stay home.
One of those reasons we decided to stay is that we got the house on the market shortly before the new school year began, and we didn’t really have time to investigate where to live in the new place for a good school. I could have homeschooled the kids, but with everything else that my husband and I had to manage, that would have too much stress and the kids are at a crucial stage in their education, where they would need my full attention.
Right now, they are attending a Classical charter school that they all are thriving at.
Both of my daughters were in the middle of their braces plan. One we had paid in full for, and the other we had put 75% of the money down on. We were told when we moved, it was up to the discretion of the new orthodontist on how much he would charge us. It could be like starting over with money! Not only that, one of my daughter’s orthodontist case is somewhat complicated.
These are just a few of the challenges we are facing; and why we chose to stick it out here until our house sells.
New Mercy Every Morning
As the year 2018 progressed and came to end, the fuel pump in our Suburban broke. Then the next week, the air conditioning.
My husband’s 1995 vehicle with over 200,000 miles is nearing its end as well.
We lost another family member.
Extended family members have faced their share of troubles as well.
It seems the “rough” parts of 2018 are rolling in seamlessly into 2019 with some new challenges we may be facing.
In spite of all of the rough things that keep happening, the Lord promises to give us New Mercy every morning, because His compassions do not fail. His faithfulness is great.
Lamentations 3:22-23
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
I have personally seen His Love, His hand of protection, and His mercy and His compassion, through all of this. Sometimes the fear, grief, confusion and overwhelm can feel all-consuming. But the truth of the matter is; I am not consumed.
This year, one of my goals is to wake up each morning and look for and expect God’s mercy for that day; to believe He is faithful and will provide His mercy (because He is faithful and He promises to be faithful) despite how I am feeling. I am choosing to acknowledge that I have not been consumed.
Why A Blog?
I started this blog to document the Lord’s Mercies on my life this year, and to share with you how He is working through all of our trials, challenges, and issues. Maybe my sharing will be an encouragement to your faith as well?
I realize that the problems I have written about are piddly squat in comparison to many people’s burdens.
I have several friends and family, who, right this very moment, are having, have been facing, or have dealt with trials that are unfathomable.
It isn’t my intention to complain about my life or seek attention or sympathy. My objective is to share how I see God’s hand of mercy working in my own life, and with my sharing, I hope it encourage you to see His mercy in your own life; because it’s there!
How about You? Did you face a lot of challenges this past year? Are you going into 2019 with some of the same issues you faced last year? Would you like to stick around and encourage one another that the Lord loves us, that He cares, and He will supply us new mercy every morning?
If so, drop a comment below and let me know what you have been up against, and maybe share how you have seen the Lord’s mercy in it.
Maybe you haven’t been able to sense the Lord’s compassion and mercy? If so share that too, so I can pray for you.
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