Showers of blessing

God did it for us again. After a big loss and four and a half long months of not knowing what lie ahead for us financially, we have finally arrived to the blessings that, of course, exceeded all of our expectations.

Mike started working this past week as a Commercial Tire Sales Representative for Goodyear Tire. If you knew Mike 20 years ago. you'd know just how much knowledge and experience he already carries in this field. We listed his experience in the tire field on his resume, but since he's been working in the maintenance field for the last 12 years, that's the main area of employment he was looking for.

Then, out of the blue, Goodyear Tire noticed his resume on a job website, contacted him, and asked him to apply for their Tire Sales position at a new store that just opened this summer. He did, and they interviewed him and offered him the job that very day! (We then had to work through several gliches that kept delaying his start date, but he finally started to work this week). In addition to being employed in a field he's already good at, the pay is better than anything else he had even applied for!

(Here's an excerpt from a story I recently wrote about it:

Give him a story

After four months of my husband’s unemployment, each day drug on with no end in sight. I had no idea how long it could take to find a simple job. By now, he was ready to apply for anything, no matter how little income it brought in.

                “If it gets you insurance and pays more than $0, we’re still ahead of where we are now.” I know it wasn’t the most encouraging thing I could have said to my husband, but we’d come to a point of having to face reality.

                When unemployment hit our home, we arrogantly assumed another job would come quickly and easily. After the first month, I began to pray specifically for Mike’s next job, and I thanked God daily for the answer still to come.

                “Bless the work of my husband’s hands. May the job You provide him fulfill him and earn him respect quickly. Let it be close to home and provide enough to cover our current living expenses plus two upcoming needs over the next year. But, God, more than anything, may the job You provide him come with a story, proving that it came from You alone.”

Now four months later, after spending hours upon end filling out applications online, using up tank after tank of gas driving to countless interviews, and meeting up with random people all over the area to give them a resume, he still came home each night without a job.

                “Yes, your resume looks good. But there are still 30 applicants ahead of you for this position.”

                “You’ve got a lot of great experience, but we need someone with this specific certification that you don’t have.”

                “You are a bit overqualified.”

                “You’re highly qualified, but we can’t hire another person for this position right now.”

                “We really like you. If we don’t find someone else more qualified, we’ll give you a call.”

                “You’re in our top five out of all 75 applicants.”

                Yet day after day passed, and the phone didn’t ring.

                I questioned God. Why wouldn’t he just give Mike a job?

I know He provided enough to sustain us over the last four months for a reason. But after hearing a long series on money management and finances at church, it felt quite uncomfortable deciding whether to pull money out of retirement or college savings just to make ends meet until a job finally came around.

“God, I do trust You, and I know You will continue to provide. I know You are not going to let our boat sink. But please just tell us what to do in the meantime while Mike is not working.”

The more frugal we tried to live, the more our daily expenses seemed to multiply. All four of our pets became infested with fleas. Two of the animals got sick enough to need medical attention. Both of our vehicles needed several hundred dollars in repairs. Our electric bill skyrocketed over the hot summer months. Medical insurance through the government cost us more than we’d ever had to pay before.

We prayed daily, begging for wisdom on how to handle our finances. God provided, unexpected people gave money to sustain us, but I selfishly just wanted my husband to go back to work. It’s uncomfortable to be the one in need. I hate to admit that I started to question Mike’s interviewing skills, while at the same time I wondered if I didn’t do a good enough job drafting his resume for him. Maybe I didn’t make him look marketable or emphasize his strengths enough.

Or perhaps God took my bold prayers seriously and therefore wouldn’t give Mike a job that didn’t fit my specific prayer.

Summer ended, and I went back to work. Less than a week into the new school year, Mike sent me a text around mid-morning.

“I just got an e-mail from a tire company. They saw my resume online and asked me to apply for their tire sales position.” Tire sales? Mike worked for a local tire company from the age of sixteen up until right before David was born, now fourteen years ago. Although he currently sought a job in a maintenance field, we knew he held a lot of experience and knowledge with tires.

Later that morning, I got another text. “They want me to come for an interview this afternoon.”

Then late that afternoon, I got a phone call. “The interview went really well. They offered me the job!”

A job that will fulfill him and earn him respect quickly because of his prior experience. A job close to home, offering more income than any position he applied for over the last four months. An employer that sought him out.

A job that came with a story.