For the last year, my family has gone through struggles and challenges that have changed us forever. My father is a pastor, and even though he is not currently serving in a church, I suppose being church-less doesn't change his call and passion. Up until last January, my family was comfortable with our rural Iowa home, familiar friends, and security. We felt unbreakable. My parents were undoubtedly going to grow old and retire in residential Altoona, Iowa.
But God had other plans. Granted, my parents are still living in the same home that they have been breaking in for the last 5 years, but things are different now. Modified. Gone is the security of a stable job with a fixed income. But it is about more than just the money, it is about the friends and the years of building meaningful relationships in the church, only to have them ripped away that hurt us.
Despite the drastic adjustments in friends and finances, my parents hit the ground running. They immediately struck out, perusing suitable jobs worthy of their educational achievements. Four years in school and thirty-three plus years of experience should have yielded some sort of pastoring position, right? Wrong. My dad searched high and low for a job as a pastor and each time, they were faced with a dead end. But did that get a brother down? Oh no it didn't. Instead of giving up, sitting at home and grumbling about all the misfortunes life had thrown at him, my father sucked it up and realized that God had a plan and a purpose. He took a job at night in a grocery store chain called Hy-Vee, and took a substituting job by day. Although coupons and grocery shopping has always been a passion of my father, I doubt stocking candy is where he imagined himself in his mid-fifties. But my father was not alone in his struggle. My mother took on over 40 piano students and a part-time job at a daycare down the street from our home. Currently both of my parents are putting in more than 50 hours a week. Instead of building their 401k, they are working harder than they ever have just to scrape by.
Do not misunderstand the reason for this post. It is not to receive pity. Instead, it is to honor and recognize the hard work of my parents. My heroes.
But God had other plans. Granted, my parents are still living in the same home that they have been breaking in for the last 5 years, but things are different now. Modified. Gone is the security of a stable job with a fixed income. But it is about more than just the money, it is about the friends and the years of building meaningful relationships in the church, only to have them ripped away that hurt us.
Despite the drastic adjustments in friends and finances, my parents hit the ground running. They immediately struck out, perusing suitable jobs worthy of their educational achievements. Four years in school and thirty-three plus years of experience should have yielded some sort of pastoring position, right? Wrong. My dad searched high and low for a job as a pastor and each time, they were faced with a dead end. But did that get a brother down? Oh no it didn't. Instead of giving up, sitting at home and grumbling about all the misfortunes life had thrown at him, my father sucked it up and realized that God had a plan and a purpose. He took a job at night in a grocery store chain called Hy-Vee, and took a substituting job by day. Although coupons and grocery shopping has always been a passion of my father, I doubt stocking candy is where he imagined himself in his mid-fifties. But my father was not alone in his struggle. My mother took on over 40 piano students and a part-time job at a daycare down the street from our home. Currently both of my parents are putting in more than 50 hours a week. Instead of building their 401k, they are working harder than they ever have just to scrape by.
Do not misunderstand the reason for this post. It is not to receive pity. Instead, it is to honor and recognize the hard work of my parents. My heroes.
1 comment:
Can your parents be my heroes too? That really says a great deal about who they are.
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