Can I share with you something that has been on my heart lately?
My husband and I got married a little over a year ago. When we got married we always said that (Lord willing) our plan would be to have children in 5 years. This would put me at 24 for having our first child. Good plan, Good timing.
But what I recently realized is that it is no longer 5 years...it's now 4! Wow!!!
And while I am so excited and our timing is right on track...it also hit me that it is getting closer. For so long it was always 5 years and that wasn't moving. Before getting married we always said our plan was 5 years, 5 years, 5 years. But now...it's 4 years away!!!
My Hubby and I have always been very firm on the idea that I will stay home with out children. Once we have our first child I will not go back to work until they are grown. I am so excited for this! I dream of the day I get to stay home with my kids!
I was listening to a message by Rick Holland {College Pastor at Grace Community Church. John MacArthur's church} and he was talking about Titus 2. Titus 2 talks about older women instructing younger women to love their husbands and children and to be diligent workers at home. He was saying that him and his wife had also decided that once they had children that she too would stay home until they were raised.
He then went into finances. About how many women would love to stay home with their children and raise them but for one reason or another they can't.
Now let me say that I do really understand the desire to want to stay home when you truly can't. As in the case of your husband dying and being left as the only source of income. I understand their are extenuating circumstances.
But
Can I just say...if your desire is to stay home, what are you doing to make that happen?!
So many women work to put their kids in daycare so they can work but the reality of it is that their income pretty much just covers day care and maybe a few luxuries. Many women desire to stay home but are not willing to actually make the leap to live off of one income.
I felt so convicted listening to Rick Holland's messages! I had never thought of it that way.
Staying home to raise our children is not just a path we will cross when we get to it. We cannot just live off one two incomes for years and then one day just drop half our income! We must be proactive in this decision!
God has placed the desire in my heart to stay home and raise our children. So what am I doing about it?!
Of course we are trying to save our money. We try to be frugal. But this doesn't help the fact that we are currently living off of two incomes and will one day have to live off of one income!
God has also placed it on my heart that while 5 (now 4) years has always been our plan...God doesn't work according to our plans but his! We could very well have a baby before our "all knowing" plan of 5 years. Where will we be if all of a sudden we have to go to one income and we weren't prepared for it for another 2 years?!
This is where the real conviction part comes in.
I have been feeling very convited to move towards living off of my husband's income solely.
And to make that move now! Not wait until I'm pregnant to make the move!
Rick Holland said, "Your money is the best determiner of your values". And how true is that! I'm spending money now on making my house look "perfect" and other non essentials. When really I should be focused on the amazing calling of being a stay at home mother and homeschooler.
Matthew 6:21 says,
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".
I want my heart and my treasure to reflect the high calling that God has given me.
I want to pay off our student loans.
I want to buy a starter home for our family.
I want to have our first child knowing that our financial situation reflects God's calling to my husband and I.
So our challenge for my husband and I this summer is to situate our finances so that we are living off one income. Completely.
I am starting to make that move towards one income today! But I'll post more about what I am going to do to make God's calling for my life a reality later.
Good for you guys! We did not try to live on 1 income until after my son was born. It made life a lot harder for us.
ReplyDeleteGood for y'all! That is so very exciting :) My husband and I are planning on TTC a year from this September. It seems so far away, but at the same time it seems so close and there is so much to do! Good luck with everything :) XO
ReplyDeleteWow, this was a rich post and VERY convicting!! I have felt challenged in our finances now too... this may have been a good post to put that bug in my ear again!
ReplyDeleteThanks girl - you go girl!
Awesome! I can't wait to hear more!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome-my husband and I feel the exact same way. Of course we don't know when the Lord will give us children but until He does we are doing the same thing. We are trying to get at least my student loans paid off, if not his too and we are living only one one income even though we have two. I think that is the reason why so many women have a hard time is it is too hard for them to let go of that money and the THINGS to stay home with their children. I'm so glad to hear that another young married Christian couple feels the same way as we do and is doing something about it NOW rather than later : ) Kudos to both you and your husband! You're making very wise decisions!
ReplyDeleteHey Jami,
ReplyDeleteThis is your cousin Andrew. What a rad post! It's really exciting hearing about Jesus being the center of your life! Everything flows from there!
Lord, thank You for Jami's desire to prepare now for what you've put in her heart for her future. All we have is from You. Every possession and every dollar you've allowed. Thank you for how richly you provide for us. May they be good stewards of all you've entrusted to them. I ask that you multiple their efforts to pay off debts to make living on one income easier. May it always be a reminder to them of your provision that your name will be glorified each time they recount the story. It's in Jesus name I pray. Amen.
I had quite a bit of debt before Amy and I got married. Once we got married we begin praying. The Lord provided and showed us ways to save and pay more of it off. Within 6 months it had all been paid. Then in early 2004 we bought a new car on a 5 year loan. In 2005 we found out Amy was pregnant with Noah. We begin to pray about eliminating the debt of the car payment because it would make it that much harder to live on one income. The Lord blessed us in unexpected was again and we were able to pay off the remaining four years in less then 9 months! It was nothing short of a miracle. There was no amazing new source of income, but He reminded us to be diligent in our spending and put any extra/unexpected money towards the goal.
Thank You Jesus for being our provider! You are the way, the truth,and the life. Amen!
This is exciting! I wish I had known at your age that I would be called to be a stay-at-home-mom. I had always wanted to be a teacher. But I got married at 24 and almost immediately realized that I wanted to stay home once we have kids. Later I was also hit with the conviction to possibly home-school them as my husband was. And now I am trying to figure out how to make a little extra money part-time or something so that I can quit my job when we have kids. Our plan was always 3 years after we get married, which is just one measly year away! I didn't know what we were going to do and was getting very discouraged about it, but TODAY we are going to check out an option that just might be the answer to all of our prayers! God always provides, even if sometimes it feels like it's in the eleventh hour :-)
ReplyDeleteI love that we have so much in common and that you want to home-school too! I look forward to hearing more about how you are making the transition from two incomes to one.