Instamonth Day 27

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:3-4

Instamonth Day 4

Better is one day in your courts

    than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

    the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

    from those whose walk is blameless.

Lord Almighty,

    blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Psalm 84:10-12

Big news

So yesterday I gave you some background info, without actually divulging what is going on. Tricky, aren't I? But if you know me at all or managed to pay attention to what I was sharing, you can probably guess what happened.

In the last couple of weeks I've been realising how I still haven't had the guts to just do it. Quit. Trust the Lord completely. Act crazy, in the name of His promises. So on Friday, after a few incentives from everywhere - circunstances, husband, problems at work - I did.

According to Brazilian work laws, the company can ask an employee to work a 30 days notice, which the employee is not forced to fulfill. I really, really, really didn't want to do it, but I was reminded by a good friend of mine that this is the Christian thing to do.

Which means that officially, as of March 8th I'll be unemployed. And completely comfortable with it. 

The funny thing? Last year my husband had a salary plus commission. He had a wide range of possible salaries, but always between specific figures. About a month ago, he quit his job to work with a friend - for commission fees only. Which means that if he sells nothing in a month, he gets nothing in that month. 

Somehow, instead of freaking out, I am completely at peace. I know all comes through the Lord anyway, and my salary means nothing compared to all that he can do to provide for us. I don't have anything firm yet, and am not actively looking for it, which seems to baffle people. That's ok. Like I said, a year ago I didn't get it either.

Five Minute Friday: Risk

Today we are joining The Gypsy Mama for her Five Minute Friday. Here is what she has to say about it:

Around here we write for five minutes flat on Fridays.

We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. So we take five minutes on Friday and write like we used to run when we were kids.

On Fridays we write with gusto, unselfconscious and flat out.

Rules:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here ( and @ Gypsy Mama) and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on: Risk

I play by the rules. I follow procedures. I respect authority. I have always been a do-gooder and have always been quite amazed at people who seemingly throw it all to chance. Don't they realize that houses don't clean themselves, so they should probably get on that vaccumming instead of going out for a drink? Don't they see that debt is the most horrible thing and they should pay it off instead of charging it up? Can't they understand that what we invest in our own education is what builds us, so they should go to class and not skip school to tan at the beach?

In March my husband and I made a decision that was hard for us. It wasn't life threatening or urgent. We needed to decide whether we would spend our New Year's in Disney World. Simple, right? Well, living in Brazil, the cost of plane tickets alone is absurd. Plus hotels, meals, shopping, parks....you get the picture. And we aren't exactly the proud owners of a chubby savings account.

In the end, against all rational we booked the ticket. We decided memories are made of moments, not of how many times we avoided credit cards (and we are very careful with them). We decided we deserved it. We realised that we work hard and don't often play hard.

It didn't come lightly, but it was the best decision we ever made. Each day, God has been comforting me and showing me how to depend on Him  and not worry. I am sure He will provide enough for us to do it with no debt. Because risks taken with HIM are no risks at all.