Doves On Distant Oaks

God Always Provides

Many years ago, my young family and I went through some scarce days. My wife and I were living in an apartment at poverty level with a one-year-old child. I simply couldn’t find a job related to my profession. I worked low-paying jobs, but I also had student loans to pay off—large sums with no professional employment and a wife and toddler to clothe, feed, and shelter.

One of the jobs I found that was semi-related to my profession was as a land surveyor. It was a well-paying job, so I went in for the interview. I was offered the job, but discovered that in order to find work, the surveyors had to sometimes travel four hours away. The owner of the company, said, “If you pay for the trip one way, I’ll pay for the trip the other.” That meant he would pay me four hours for doing nothing but riding—one way. The other way was on me.

“That seems fair, don’t you think?” he asked. Indeed, it sounded very fair. I thought about his suggestion for a few minutes, and then turned him down. It would mean leaving my new family for sixteen hours a day—something I was unwilling to do.

Family always comes first, which was difficult for me as a man to understand at first. Although taking care of my family through some kind of work is important, I came to realize that providing for my family meant more than just making lots of money. It also meant spending time with them and being there when they needed me. If that meant continuing to work for low wages, than that was what God wanted.

In the end, God protected and prospered my family because He promises us He will. I eventually worked in my chosen profession, one that lasted decades. But no job was worth more than obeying God. The American family can remain strong, with God safeguarding it. By loving our family we also love God, who gave them to us for our safeguarding.

These families of ours come in all shapes and sizes. It may not be the traditional family. Instead it may be a blended family; a family with only a mother or a father; nephews, cousins, grandchildren, and so on—all living under one roof. It may even be families that have no blood relation. Remember, God puts families together for reasons that only He knows.

We should always hold our family steadfastly. Your family is the most important ship you'll sail upon. Our commitment to our marriage and our children is a covenant we make with God, not with them. We don't go through them to make the covenant with God, we go through God when we commit to them. To sever our relationship with them, we must first break our covenant with God.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

–1 Timothy 5:8