Money Part 4: It Pays to Listen: BRINGING UP SARA 1.8
circa 2015 - 2019
It is good for men (and in some cases, women) to work hard to provide for their family. The act of providing financially is naturally associated with headship, just like God is our Jehovah Jireh, “Our Provider”.
When my husband started his business more than 25 years ago, I held a senior position in a multinational company. Then God told me to quit my job in his fifth year of business and stay at home with my children. It was a very difficult situation as my career was thriving whilst he was not earning enough to support the family. We had a mortgage on our home to pay off and two young children to feed.
Besides, I enjoyed my work tremendously as it was challenging and interesting and I was very well paid for it, with secretaries, medical insurance for my children and all the perks that came with my position.
My Big Red Heart
I struggled with it for a week. I had butterflies in my stomach.
I remembered I was working out at the gym with some of my staff when I heard the Lord laugh, softly saying to me, “You are like a prisoner in that movie. Kept in a dark cell for so long, that when I unlock the door to your cell, it is so blinding that you are too afraid to get out.”
Then the Lord showed me a picture of a red, bulging, pulsating heart.
He said it was my heart and that God had made my heart so big, so filled with love for Him and for people, and He wanted me to share this love with others.
I said to Him, “Okay... but I need to resolve what is churning away in my stomach.” I listed down seven concerns – financial needs (as I made more than six times my husband’s salary that year), my own financial freedom, family medical insurance, etc.
He gave me seven verses to address each of the seven concerns and assured me that He would take care of it.
Decrease to Increase
Then He said, “You must decrease so that he (my husband) can increase.”
That did it for me. I decided to obey Him and quit my job. My bosses flew me to Hong Kong to try to change my mind and the Japanese owner of the property I was working on tried to retain me but my mind was made up. Money was not going to be my master. I thought it would be an exciting time that I could now do what I had always wanted to do – have time for my children, go on mission trips and serve the Church.
To my horror, 18 months after that, with a third child in tow, I was completely broke. For the first time in my life, my bank account went into overdraft. I had used up all my savings to try to make things work and almost fell into depression.
That is the sad reality – when I was working, I had money but no time. But now that I didn't have a job, I had no money to do all the things I did not have time to do when I was working.
WHEN I WAS WORKING, I HAD MONEY BUT NO TIME. BUT NOW THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A JOB, I HAD NO MONEY TO DO ALL THE THINGS I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO DO WHEN I WAS WORKING
I cried out to God and reminded Him of His promise to me, “You must decrease so that your husband can increase.” “But my husband did not increase at all!” I cried.
God heard my cry. Coincidentally, my ex-boss approached me with a new job offer. God also sent a close Christian homemaker friend (who is very pro-family and preaches that women should stay at home and not go out to work) a bible verse to tell me I have to go back to work!
So, after the birth of my third child, I went back to work, in another corporate job. As Senior Vice President, I had to fly all over Asia to sign up million-dollar deals for this new company. I managed to build up my savings once again.
The work was interesting but my heart was no longer there. On a business trip to Taipei, I cried all the way on a flight back as my son had been running a fever the entire week and I could not be there for him.
Decreasing All the Way
I went away on a short retreat in Bintan Island and cried my heart out to God.
He showed me that when I had first quit my job, I was still doing my best to make ends meet, using my savings to supplement what was insufficient. I realized that I need to decrease all the way and not try to help my husband provide.
Upon my return, I sent in a 7-page resignation letter to my husband – resigning from being Super Wife, Super Mom and SuperWoman.
I told him what the Lord had shown me and that he needed to step up to the plate to provide enough for the family. So, it is time for me to quit my job again, this time, for good. Not only that, God said we need to get out of debt in 10 years!
Can you imagine the reaction on my husband’s face then? Poor thing. I think God nearly gave him a heart attack. But he eventually gave in and obeyed, and met with his partners to get a justifiable pay raise, as he was paid about half the market rate.
The Power of Obedience
Our God is faithful. We managed to get out of debt even earlier than that! To me, that was His reward to us for being willing to listen, to trust Him and to obey.
He sent someone to buy over a part of our business in another country for a tidy sum. Not only did we pay off our mortgage with it, I set myself on the next financial goal - to build a war chest and wait for an opportunity to acquire a second property.
My goal was to pay the second property off within the next ten years and then work on the third, so that we are set for retirement, with rental from these two properties, with zero debt, to support the two of us.
My husband started to provide for the family. As my family grew and his pay check was barely sufficient to cover all the needs, the Lord blessed his business and our investments as I worked my slave hard. Looking back now, my husband has increased just as God had promised, in every way, not just financially. He has increased in faith and in the fear of the Lord.
Best of all, I spent those important years in my children’s lives with them and many hours on bended knees, praying over them. But it did take a lot of adjustment on my part - from living a corporate life to the home, but it was through my new life as a homemaker that God taught me the most important lessons on how to be a good master over money.
Which I will continue in the next post.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
