Life and Whatnot

Unemployment


August 31st, 2009 changed my life in a way I never expected.

I was laid off from my job.

Having been in the title and escrow industry since May of 2001, I’d come to enjoy the industry, despite its ups and downs. Heck, I was even a top revenue earner for my company one year, and usually in the top 10 of all the closers.

So, I should have been safe from lay offs, right?

Yeah, not so much.

At first I was, like, “Huh? Why me?”

That lasted for about five minutes. I knew why. I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. But it still scared me to be unemployed.

Now, in January 2010, I am starting a new job-no-a new career with a fantastic company working with some great people.

The past four months gave me plenty of time to think about things. I learned much about myself, my family, and my God, but two things stood out the most to me.

First, I have a fantastic, godly husband who provides for me more than I had ever realized.

Yep. You might think, “How can unemployment teach you that?”

I’ll tell ya. He planned well with our resources. Now, he’s always watching Dave Ramsey, or reading other financial books because it’s something that interests him. I, on the other hand, have never been extremely interested in it.

I’d been employed ever since I graduated from grad school in May 1998 and enjoyed contributing to the household with my salary.

So to find ourselves with just one income was a dramatic change.

Well, my hubby had been wise with our average incomes up until the point of my unemployment, so we were able to survive by making some changes to our daily habits. My losing my job did not devastate us as much as it easily could have had he not been wise with our resources.

I’ve always admired my husband, Charlie, for his passion to be godly with our household income. And during this tough time and this tough economy, he has proven again and again that we can’t go wrong when we trust God to provide for our needs and seek His will in all we go through.

Stay tuned for part 2 next week.

5 Comments

  • KM Wilsher

    Lynn, “What a man, what a man, what a man, what a might good man.” LOL
    The Lord is good and it is such a magical sight to see Him crown a good man in glory 🙂

  • Lynn Rush

    HI, Lauryn. Thanks for stoppin’ by. I’m working for this company now: http://www.teachingstuff.com/ doing their marketing. It’s going to be exciting! Yesterday was my first day and I felt so welcomed it was fantastic. Nice to be a productive family member again (earning a wage). BUT, unemployment was good to me as well. With all my spare time, I wrote four novels, got to help out with women’s ministry at church more, and was there to take care of my hubby more (cooking nice dinners, running errands for the household). It was nice, but weird, experience being unemployed, that’s for sure.

  • Lauryn Abbott

    So glad you have been able to make it through such a difficult time with minimal damage. Charlie sounds like a wise and stable man – he’s a keeper! Congrats on the new job. What are you doing?