Several years ago, I moved my young family from Colorado Springs to Salida. I had taken a new position with a company that wanted to establish an outpost there, along the upper Arkansas River valley. My wife and I finally found a home we felt was affordable, just outside of town and we put it under contract. The process went smoothly and in a few weeks, we were closing in on our new place and packing to move. I had started with the new company while living in the Springs and things were going well. We had a plan and it looked, for all intents and purposes, that GOD was directing us to make the move.
We shuttled our belongings to a storage facility in our new town and took up residence in a dingy little motel that agreed to let us rent a room for a few weeks, just until we closed on our new place. It was cramped and less than ideal, but the four of us endured it. We avoided any major conflict, opting to walk across the highway to a small city park and “get some air,” rather than arguing with one another. I must admit, the last three weeks of our six week stay entailed many park visits.
Then came the day that I received a phone call from the headquarters of my new employer, back in New England. I had crossed swords with the secretary of the owner of the company, in defending one of my support staff from an unprovoked attack. When the smoke cleared, the woman at the home office had convinced the owner that I had treated her disrespectfully and she insisted he fire me. Reluctantly, he did. Now my family and I found ourselves in the untenable situation of living in a motel, closing on a new home and unemployed.
My wife and I discussed our options and prayed for GOD’s wisdom. We couldn’t imagine doing anything but pulling the plug on our contract to buy the house, losing our earnest money and hoping the Seller didn’t sue us for specific performance. I decided to go to the bank and tell them that we couldn’t close on the loan to buy the house. The president of the bank and I sat in his office, as I related my story and he calmly said, “Faber, I have a feeling about this deal. We’re going to loan you the money.” I was dumbfounded and even tried to argue that without a job, I had no way to repay the loan. He insisted. I went to the real estate agent who wrote our contract and related the events of the previous twenty-four hours and he simply smiled and said, “If Larry at the bank is going to ride with you, then I am too.”
I drove back to the motel, expecting to find my wife and kids huddled in a corner of our room, like survivors of a terrible storm, attempting to console each other. I was reminded of a time several years earlier, when the real estate economy had collapsed and we had subsequently lost the first home we had ever bought. The kids were at the park shooting hoops. My wife was singing as she folded some clean clothes she had just laundered at the local washateria. I marveled at the peace she exhibited. “What are you so joyful about,” I asked? “You know HE will provide,” she responded, “HE always does.” The phone rang that evening. Suzanne and the kids were at the park. It was the owner of a company I would become a part of for the next nineteen years. The reason for his call…”I know you just went to work for a group back east and that you are excited about your new opportunity with them, but if you ever decide you want something different, maybe something much better, I have a place for you in my company.” I hung up the phone, went across the street to the park and shot hoops with my faithful little family. I shared the news, our children leapt for joy and we thanked JEHOVAH JIREH for our provision.
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