It was interesting how the comments and
advice varied when I shared this dilemma with a few close friends. One
of the guys said, "just buy new clothes." I missed the rest of his
remarks; the transaction took place during a time of many distractions.
I had been explaining that the weather wasn't fully to blame for my
less than punctual arrival at our Sunday morning worship team
rehearsal, and everyone was bustling around getting ready to practice. Later at lunch I told a few more friends about the brief
dialog, and one of the ladies encouraged me to make the conscious
decision to take off the weight before it was necessary to buy a larger
size. My dear husband, Eric, had yet another suggestion. He said I should
take off the weight, and buy some new clothing when I've accomplished my
goal and my current wardrobe is loose. I think I will take his advice.
Eric recently navigated a major intersection occupationally. For 17 years he had worked at the same company. There had certainly been plenty of ups and downs along the way. One of the most uncertain times was early on when we were expecting our second child. A major wave of layoffs was expected as we were nearing the end of the pregnancy, and we waited anxiously knowing that the loss of his job would mean no more heath coverage for the hospital bills. Another very difficult time was when he began working on a project that required travel. I was left at home with our four children, ages eight to two, and completely opposed to his being away. My nervous condition was only worsened by "surprise trips" that seemed to be completely unannounced, and the fact that the travel exceeded the maximum we had been promised. I had no problem fitting into my clothing that year since I barely ate while I fretted. It took a couple of years, and the frequency of the trips declining, before I adjusted to it at all. We look back now and almost laugh, because those trips were actually so short in duration compared to more recent ones, and he was home on weekends.
A little over a year ago things started to get rough again. Layoff were more frequent, and the atmosphere was tense. We were looking ahead to our oldest son graduating in 2015 with two siblings close on his heels, and found a generous employee tuition discount quite appealing. At the beginning of 2013 Eric updated his resume, sent it to Penn State University, and applied to a few openings, then we waited. He had a couple of interviews, and then we waited some more. I was told there was only one trip scheduled that year, and after nine years, Eric was finally going to try to take me to be with him for part of the time. As I flew to Denver to join him there, I sensed that this trip was for closure. It was about that same time, over the summer, that one of Eric's friends started coaxing him to pursue a specific Penn State job more actively, but Eric was cautious. It may seem like an obvious choice given the circumstances, but we couldn't help but wonder if the grass only looked greener over there, and whether he was jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Sometimes when we come to a crossroad our view is limited in every direction. Here we perceived only that there may be a dead end ahead with his current position, and the road would not be pleasant. As we looked toward our other option we saw that we would have to tighten our belts and budget more carefully, but that there was a high probability of less stress and fewer mandatory travel dates. Having Eric miss important family milestones, like our daughter's 13th birthday, as well as concerts and sporting events including every track meet one year, was not what we wanted for our family, so by the time November drew to a close he had accepted an offer. We are still adjusting to a new schedule, a tighter budget, different health care benefits, and a change in business approach, but we are on our way down this new road.
Not every crossroad is on a major highway like Eric's job, some are more like country roads and farm lanes like my wardrobe dilemma. In every life, though, there is one intersection that stands above them all; it's at the corner of everlasting life and eternal death. Each member of our family has individually chosen eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) We know our destination, and our objective is to bring honor and glory to our Lord and King every step along the way. (Romans 12:1-2) We stumble, but still we try. Nothing can keep us from continuing on this road. (Romans 8:38-39) Our arrival is sure. (John 10:28) If you haven't trusted in Jesus to save you from the punishment for your sin, then you're on the road that leads to death. He went down that road so you wouldn't have to. Won't you call on him and be saved? Romans 10:13 "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
I'd be happy to talk with you about making this choice. Whether you have questions, or you just want to tell someone that you believe, please drop me a line. jmhuyett@verizon net
Eric recently navigated a major intersection occupationally. For 17 years he had worked at the same company. There had certainly been plenty of ups and downs along the way. One of the most uncertain times was early on when we were expecting our second child. A major wave of layoffs was expected as we were nearing the end of the pregnancy, and we waited anxiously knowing that the loss of his job would mean no more heath coverage for the hospital bills. Another very difficult time was when he began working on a project that required travel. I was left at home with our four children, ages eight to two, and completely opposed to his being away. My nervous condition was only worsened by "surprise trips" that seemed to be completely unannounced, and the fact that the travel exceeded the maximum we had been promised. I had no problem fitting into my clothing that year since I barely ate while I fretted. It took a couple of years, and the frequency of the trips declining, before I adjusted to it at all. We look back now and almost laugh, because those trips were actually so short in duration compared to more recent ones, and he was home on weekends.
A little over a year ago things started to get rough again. Layoff were more frequent, and the atmosphere was tense. We were looking ahead to our oldest son graduating in 2015 with two siblings close on his heels, and found a generous employee tuition discount quite appealing. At the beginning of 2013 Eric updated his resume, sent it to Penn State University, and applied to a few openings, then we waited. He had a couple of interviews, and then we waited some more. I was told there was only one trip scheduled that year, and after nine years, Eric was finally going to try to take me to be with him for part of the time. As I flew to Denver to join him there, I sensed that this trip was for closure. It was about that same time, over the summer, that one of Eric's friends started coaxing him to pursue a specific Penn State job more actively, but Eric was cautious. It may seem like an obvious choice given the circumstances, but we couldn't help but wonder if the grass only looked greener over there, and whether he was jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Sometimes when we come to a crossroad our view is limited in every direction. Here we perceived only that there may be a dead end ahead with his current position, and the road would not be pleasant. As we looked toward our other option we saw that we would have to tighten our belts and budget more carefully, but that there was a high probability of less stress and fewer mandatory travel dates. Having Eric miss important family milestones, like our daughter's 13th birthday, as well as concerts and sporting events including every track meet one year, was not what we wanted for our family, so by the time November drew to a close he had accepted an offer. We are still adjusting to a new schedule, a tighter budget, different health care benefits, and a change in business approach, but we are on our way down this new road.
Not every crossroad is on a major highway like Eric's job, some are more like country roads and farm lanes like my wardrobe dilemma. In every life, though, there is one intersection that stands above them all; it's at the corner of everlasting life and eternal death. Each member of our family has individually chosen eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) We know our destination, and our objective is to bring honor and glory to our Lord and King every step along the way. (Romans 12:1-2) We stumble, but still we try. Nothing can keep us from continuing on this road. (Romans 8:38-39) Our arrival is sure. (John 10:28) If you haven't trusted in Jesus to save you from the punishment for your sin, then you're on the road that leads to death. He went down that road so you wouldn't have to. Won't you call on him and be saved? Romans 10:13 "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
I'd be happy to talk with you about making this choice. Whether you have questions, or you just want to tell someone that you believe, please drop me a line. jmhuyett@verizon net
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If you read something here that blesses you, please share it with your friends. Also, please don't be bashful about leaving comments or asking questions. :) ~Juanita (jmhuyett@verizon.net)