Below is a post to Facebook I wrote to recommend the book Marriage After God: Chasing Boldly After God’s Purpose for Your Life Together (commission link). It is now also a blog post entry...
As I'm working on the draft for my next blog post on www.thisismystoryjesusismysong.com, I'm reminded how Mandy pre-ordered and purchased 4 copies of this book (Marriage After God: Chasing Boldly After God’s Purpose for Your Life Together, https://amzn.to/30yqfDG (commission link)) a few weeks ago. Right around the time the job posting for the job in Florida came up. Before we even knew about the opportunity and that we would be moving, our hope was to do a small in-home study going through this book. Very little is more beautiful than a truly loving and respectful marriage. It breaks Mandy Steele's and my heart when we hear about divorce. Some are inevitable and there's nothing we can do. Hopefully this book will help other's build a stronger marriage and be a role model for other couples and for children. In society today, married parents are placing their children's needs ahead of their spouses. But learning to put your spouse's needs ahead of your children, and even your own, will lead to a happier and more fruitful family.
There is a moment in the story about us moving to Florida that is clear as day. I went into my boss' office for our weekly one on one meeting where we discuss our typical agenda items: priorities, needs, road blocks, etc. After we got through those items we talked about the Facebook (FB) post I made requesting prayers regarding a major decision that Mandy and I were facing. At the time of this meeting, Mandy had done a phone "interview". Except it really wasn't a typical interview. Rather than them asking Mandy why they should hire her, it was them telling her why she should move. Mandy had informed me the night before my meeting with my boss, the night I made the prayer requesting post, that her potential new boss would be calling the next day (same day as I met with my boss) to interview her and ask her some questions. It was also mentioned that they were hoping to have the position filled by Thursday (like the next day). This meant Mandy, and I, would have to make the decision to move without ever having visited the area, knowing anyone there, having no idea about our living situation or housing, not knowing if we could even afford to move there, not knowing whether I would have a job, etc. After learning this, Mandy tried to stall and ask them if we could minimally be given some time to visit first.
(It seems this story is turning into a blog post itself! :))
So, I was sitting in my boss' office telling him about the opportunity and the what the post pertained to. I explained to him that the likelihood of us moving was low, maybe a 5% chance. I had already shared with him that part of the reason for moving was for my mental health and shared with him that I was depressed, like full on clinically depressed last winter. I mentioned there was a very small chance that Mandy and I might visit Florida over the weekend.
I don't recall if I said or discussed the following things with my boss, but I thought them. I was firm in my belief that I would talk Mandy out of moving and that we would minimally stay in the Coulee Region and Onalaska for at least one more year. I had ideas in mind on how to help address the winder and try to prevent me from getting depressed again. Additionally, the week before the job opp was known, our Mayor, reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in serving on a city committee. Long story short regarding that, he would be nominating me to be on the Police and Fire Commission which had, and still has, a hugely important job ahead of them in hiring our city's next Police Chief in the coming months. The night before I met with my boss, the same night of the FB prayer request message, I had received an email from the City HR Director letting me know that after, if, the Mayor's nomination and I were approved by the City Council the next day then I would be given access to immediately begin reviewing Police Chief applications and resumes.
God works in amazing and mysterious ways.
I had my own ambitions, my own desires and dreams. There are more details about them, but those details are needed right now. I also had my own ways on how I was going to achieve them. I wish I could capitalize 'I' and emphasize it more clearly like I can with HIM. HIS ways are greater than OUR ways. HIS plans and better than MY plans.
So, back to the story...
As I was wrapping up my meeting with my boss thanking him for listening and understanding after telling him not to worry, that we most likely wouldn't be moving, I stood up and walked towards his door. Just as I walked past his desk, 4 feet from the door. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I stopped and pulled my phone out. A text messages. I quickly read it and said out loud: "Uh. Not the text message I wanted to get." Mandy must have just heard some news back from the school. I turned to my boss and said, "Mandy just sent me a text message." I read it: "we need to go to destiny this weekend..." Apparently Mandy was told that if we could be there and meet them at 9 am on Saturday then they would give us more time and wait for us to decide. Without hesitation I told my boss, "Um. I guess we're going to Florida this weekend." My awesome, amazing, and understanding boss said "Okay."
I proceeded to leave his office and walked back to my desk, well okay rather where I was sitting with my computer as of late (there's a running joke, maybe it's not a joke, that I have like 3 or 4 offices because I am always sitting someplace else every other week. Perhaps some of my coworkers will comment below and confirm...) I was standing behind my chair just thinking about what had happened. How much smoother it went than I ever imagined. And what was going on?!?! I said a quick prayer in my mind asking God for wisdom and guidance. It was at that very moment that the following was placed on my heart. "Justin, you need to lay down your life for your bride, your wife just as Jesus laid down his life for his bride, the church." That idea becomes evident in this book. It will also come up in other stories related this story. But those are for another time. And the rest of the stories will be shared a bit later. I must clean a house and get ready for church.