So today is Nov 5. Three years ago today I started the job I’m at and it has been a huge blessing. So I thought I’d tell the story.

I had been working as a freelance artist since 1996. I had some really good years, but since about 2012 or so, work had been slowly drying up. I was down to two main clients in 2018 and it was becoming apparent I would have to look for something outside. Realistically looking at my prospects for earnings in 2019…. I was down to basically nothing.  

One of the big appeals about freelance work had been that it allowed me flexibility, which was huge for me since I was heavily involved as an assistant pastor at a church. But I did something really bad in 2018 that led to my being dismissed at the beginning of October.  

With those responsibilities off the table, I was essentially free to look for another job without having to worry about how I was going to fit church responsibilities in.

I was praying about what to do and I felt like the Lord told me to finish up the few outstanding projects I had and then wait. So I did, and as I submitted them, I told my client- an intellectual property lawyer who I had done work for since 2006- that I was getting out of freelance work and would probably be looking for something full-time. He asked me how much I was looking to make and I told him. He responded that he could probably bring me on at that salary, and I was stoked. I couldn’t believe my luck, or really, God’s providence for me. Given what I had done, I could reasonably expect to be kicked to the curb and left to fend for myself, but instead, I was being offered a job that would pay me WAY more than what I had. I was really excited about this and looking forward to starting.

A week went by and I hadn’t heard anything, so I sent him an email and just said I was really excited and looking forward to starting and was wondering how things were going. He told me that he was sorry, but it turns out he wasn’t going to be able to meet the salary I had asked.

I was so disappointed about this. It was a friday and I spent the weekend just stewing in misery over the collapse of my dreams. Monday came around and my wife left for 2 weeks on a work trip. I sat at home stewing over the problems and trying to motivate myself to pull it together, finish up my CV and start looking for other options. The other options out there weren’t that great, and then I had a computer failure that looked like I was actually dead in the water. My tool for searching was gone, I had no options for getting it back, and at that moment it felt like the rug had been jerked out from under me and my glorious plans. Later in the day, I DID get the computer back, and I started sending out some apps for work.

I was praying again on Tuesday and I felt like the Lord told me: Don’t give up so easily. I had made all these plans and had been formulating things I might do to help the law firm, when I was told there wasn’t going to be a job, but I’d never thought to explain what I thought I could bring. So I sent him an email explaining these things and to my surprise, he said come in and we’ll talk on friday.

I went in on friday and was offered basically half of what I had originally wanted. But two things I know: 1) even that amount was better than my prospects freelance, and 2)  I’m a good worker, so I just needed to get my foot in the door and things would improve. So I agreed and would start on Monday, Nov 5, 2018.

I started work as a contract worker. I was given the option of being an employee or contract, but having been used to paying taxes as a freelancer, I had no problem with that so I chose contract. A month later, I was told that everyone liked me and my work, so he brought me up an extra $1000 a month. That brought my pay up from insulting to almost respectable. A few months later, I made the decision to move from contract to employee so I could get benefits. When I did that, I was brought up another $1000 a month to a fully respectable salary.  

So, this is all, in my mind, a story of God’s grace. After what I had done, I had no right to expect anything good, and yet right away, he provided me with more money that I had made in a while. The benefits I got here meant my wife could take me off of hers, which freed up even more money. Then we set to work paying off the debt that accrued over the last few years. A year later, we had paid off around 25000 in debt, and then we started saving money AND paying an extra 500 a month to our mortgage.  

We had bought a condo late in life- I was almost 50. I didn’t relish the idea of paying on this thing until I was 80, so we refinanced to a 15 year mortgage in 2015. That brought it down to me paying it off when I would be 68, but with the extra we’re paying, it now means we’ll have it paid off by the time I’m 64.  

All this is a story of God’s grace. I love the job- I have freedom to engage my creativity in a range of ways, it’s constantly changing and for me, that’s the kind of creative stimulation I need. I’ve had to learn new tricks, and improve myself in various ways, and all this while I’m largely given freedom to do whatever I want. I just come in and look for ways to improve what I do, how I can represent the firm, and how we can put our best foot forward.

So, thank you, Lord for your love and goodness towards me.