Climbing the Ladder
We have been praying and putting our
financial situation, and Katrina’s, in God’s hands in particular since last
fall. Katrina felt God lay a message on her heart- that if we seek after Him
with all our hearts, God will provide all we need and beyond. It may sound
generic, but- well, sometimes less is more in communicating a message. Recently
I was looking over life and thinking- wow, if God is providing for us anyway,
that is true mercy, because I think a good part of my heart is lagging behind
on my end of the deal. I am trying, but still- all my heart, and a
smidgeon of my heart, are still quite different. I feel like the man who said
to Jesus, “Lord, I believe! But… help my unbelief!”
Despite this, God is working. Last fall
Katrina saw a job opening elsewhere at work, but felt God telling her not to go
after it- that it was not the right time. She was still pregnant then. So, she
talked to me about it, and we both decided not to try- to wait. After coming
back to work, she began to seriously pursue openings- looking at jobs in and
out of the company. For a long time at work it has seemed that despite her
investing herself and really standing out for her heart, she was not really
appreciated by her superiors- that her work was taken, used, and she was kept
where she was at so she could keep doing that work. She was doing the work of
someone above her and paid entry level wages- entry level wages with a college
education, a scholarship background, graduating first (or second- I think
first) in her High School class, and a list of work recommendations behind her
both volunteer and paid (she’s really proud of the girl scout gold award or
such she got- apparently the highest level you can possibly reach in girl
scouts, and nothing to scoff at). I’m sooo proud of my wife. I believe I
‘married up’, personally.
The only reason she did not get started
higher in a career track is her choice of major- religious studies- did not
allow for it… at least, not in the line she chose. She probably could have gone
a lot of different ways, and been helped by colleagues in her school. But she
did not- she came here, and started work at Home Depot sitting out in
the hot sun and lifting heavy loads some men (like ME) couldn’t lift before
moving to a much better line of work at Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS SC).
A position in training in another part of
BCBS opened up- that would pay a LOT more than now- and she pursued it, doing
so meant taking a special test they had added not too long ago. She passed it-
and only after passing it did she realise how BIG an accomplishment that was
there.
Cock of the Walk
Katrina went on with life as normal- no
word yet on the training job- but everyone else did not. Apparently, another worker
who had worked there (I’m trying to remember- forgive me if I’m not exact) for
six or more years had taken that test four times- waiting the required six
months between each time- and failed every time, and she had a college
education as well. Of course, since the test was relatively new, not all the
supervisors had taken it (lucky them!) but it was not an easy bar to pass. That
Kat passed it her first try- well, Kat admitted afterwards that it was a tough
test especially since there seemed to be no real right or wrong answer to some
of the questions. A hard test, but, still, just a test.
Of course, suddenly, after the test
everything changed. Her supervisors started asking her to attend meetings for
them in their place- to take notes, etc. She was asked recently to run a system
test (they repair or add new parts to the system, then have supervisors test
them before a general release- this is VERY important, because if it goes out
with errors, the company looses a LOT of money. Only supervisors do it normally).
She is also doing work for another supervisor of a related, but different,
section since she is doing all she can do in her own department. Only, unlike
before, she seems to be recognized for her work- and her supervisors have
recommended her for another supervisor position beyond the training one that
pays even MORE. I won’t be specific because I know Kat likes our privacy. Right
now we make under 24k a year- and we’re struggling to pay even our basic bills
without help from our parents (both sides J ). If she negotiates well, the supervisor position could pay close
to double what we currently make. It also fits where Kat is at- it requires
a college degree, two years experience at BCBS, as well as other training
things that Kat has done or is doing right now. It would be a difficult
position to start in, too- I told Kat we should pray, to make sure that
training OR supervisor, we choose the one GOD wants us to be in, not just the
one that pays the most.
Food glorious food!
Last night, after she shared about how
things were going, I laid back on the couch and smiled. I shared how if God
blesses us with more funds, we need to spend towards the NET (how much we
ACTUALLY get in our pockets/bank account) not the GROSS (the total she makes in
a year before taxes). Also, we need to live just as we are living now- only
being able to actually get what we need without requiring parental help. We
should not “expand to fill our britches” as they say, and end up feeling we
need more money again.
I smiled and said, “Just think how great it
will be, to actually be able to have enough money to pay for all the food we
need without using my parent’s credit card. Get all the fresh green beans,
lettuce, corn, and other vegetables we need to feed the two- and later, three-
of us. To get the meat we want, maybe even have some regular nice meals. To not
have to worry about paying the heating/air and power bills every month. To be
able to fix the air conditioning in your car and actually start saving money so
if something goes wrong with either car, we don’t have to worry about where the
money might come from. To even have enough money to know we can give even more
than our tithe to the Church and other ministries.”
I look back and I realise that it is good,
where God has led us. We should appreciate everything we have, and where
it comes from. We should be happy to use our money to comfortably get the
necessities we need- the food, the clothes, the air around us. Katrina was
eager to be able to get one or two new outfits for her new job- maybe even a
new suit or two for me, since I do not have anything resembling a suit, and
even the sold one resembling one is too small now for me. Kat- God bless her
loving spirit- while she has her strengths and weaknesses both, has sacrificed
something most women would never want to, and that is clothing. Some articles
of essentials she only has three of, and will wash them in the bath to keep
clean during the week so she has a clean change of clothes for the next day.
Perspective
You know, I would laugh if someone said we
were poor. First of all, my parents have helped us to get what we need- truth
be told, we’d be in debt without their help. As it is, we have NO debt, and we
will do everything we can to never have to be in debt at all, even for a house
and especially for a car. My parents won’t always be there- their health is
slowly failing and when my Dad cannot work, they will need all their resources
to pay off their debts and live themselves. So God is easing us into a place
where we are independent finally. But we’re still, even as we are, doing well-
because look at the space we have. We have a two bedroom, 1.5 bath apartment
with a nicely sized kitchen. We don’t HAVE to own it- renting is fine- and
there are families of seven, ten, or more in other countries like Korea, China,
Africa, all over the world who live in smaller places than this! I look at our
house, this room I am typing in now, and I think, Wow, God, this is almost a
waste of space. There could be a sleeping palette in this room, two in the
living room, we could even have someone sleeping in the kitchen and it would
still be comfortable here. We could use cold water outside to wash in the
Summer and give baths to plenty more people than just us. I realise how
lucky we are- and while in America our income is considered ‘working class’ and
people with our amount of money consider themselves poor… and I admire those
families like us who do NOT have help, who do NOT have parents blessing them,
who have MORE children… regardless, we would be doing well in poorer countries.
We would be more like middle class in many countries or towns around the world.
So I think of this, and realise that God
might give us so much more- and I realise that what our Pastor said a few
sermons ago (probably Feb 26, maybe March 5) is very true. What we have does
NOT belong to us- it belongs to God, and God is merely letting us use it. The
sooner we realise that, the easier it is to part with things. Also, the more we
realise we must take good care of what we have- otherwise called good
stewardship.
Lord, thank you for what you have presently
blessed Katrina and myself with. Thank you for the promises of provision you
have given us- and however you provide, be it through the two jobs Katrina sees
open to her now, or some other way, thank you for this. Thank you for the
loving prayers of those who have prayed on our behalf for your provision and
Katrnia’s job, and beyond. Thank you for providing despite my lack of
dedication- Lord, I believe but help my unbelief.
Sincerely,
Patrick
It is Saint Patrick's Day, and in our home- no, not my parents, not the Flanagan clan, just in OUR home, it is a special holiday we plan to pass down to our children. There are multiple reasons why today is such a special day in our household. But tonight, we have some special plans. We will probably do it differently each year, but this year, I am thinking we will stay at our apartment. I'll share more about it afterwards, definitely. We have some family traditions we have started, and since we're an Irish family I suppose you could call them Irish traditions. As for me, I'll just call them Flanagan traditions we've begun.
