A gracEmail subscriber enjoys his work as a teacher and counselor but can barely pay his bills. He has been offered a more lucrative sales position for which he does not feel particularly suited. "Should I continue to rely on the Lord's faithfulness," he asks, "or should I find a way to earn more money?"
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I know what it means to have a family, a job that barely pays the bills and no light at the end of the financial tunnel. That described my situation from 1972-1982, when God appeared to open a door for me to move from North Alabama to a new career in Texas. I think you are asking the right questions and are using wisdom, which both Proverbs and Jesus highly recommend in our earthly dealings. What are your gifts? Where do you find fulfillment? What do you do that blesses others? What do circumstances say about matters? What opportunities lie before you?
I would also encourage you to consider your wife's deepest feelings and persistent needs in this equation. How is she now being fulfilled? Does she use her gifts? Does that bring her joy? Does she wish or need to be doing something different from what she is doing now? What effect does the present financial tightness have on her? How does she handle that and relate to it?
You are wisely seeking counsel from others -- which provides you with a larger perspective. You might also want to set aside a day of fasting and prayer about this matter, during which you ask God for specific guidance, for inner light, for objective circumstances, for some kind of word or some kind of sign. All those things go together -- alongside your rational analysis, your heart-searching, your counsel received from others. Taken together, I am confident you will discern God's will for your family at this point in your history. Whatever it is, he will be with you and he will provide.
A gracEmail subscriber enjoys his work as a teacher and counselor but can barely pay his bills. He has been offered a more lucrative sales position for which he does not feel particularly suited. "Should I continue to rely on the Lord's faithfulness," he asks, "or should I find a way to earn more money?"
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As you pray and seek God's guidance, you might conclude that the new offer is a temptation to pull away from the job which God has called and gifted and equipped you to perform -- and which gives you great satisfaction. You might conclude that God's provisions, though unscheduled, are always on time, and that you will continue to be provided for as he sees your needs. Or you might conclude that the new offer is God's answer to prayer, that it is his provision for your financial needs and that you should accept it with thanksgiving. Perhaps the new work is a challenge to help you stretch and grow.
I do not sense that either option here is inherently more righteous or more holy than the other. I believe the "holiness" of the matter lies in the process, as you seek to discern where God is calling you to be and what he is calling you to do. Peace lies in honestly asking those questions at each crucial junction, then in walking by faith where we are until God moves us again.
This is not a scientific matter which can be discerned with objective certainty. It is a walk with God, a personal relationship. And he might say to you, as I felt he said to me one day concerning a specific choice, "It doesn't matter, if it doesn't matter!" I took that to mean that my attitudes and motives were what mattered to the Father, and he didn't care in that particular instance which path I choose. May God be with you, give you peace, fill you with his Spirit and surround you with his Presence. God will be faithful as you continue to trust in him and follow his leading.
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