fork in the road

Dan has always been more of a risk-taker than I am. Even when we're watching a game show, such as Deal or No Deal, I'll advise the contestants to "take the money, it's a sure bet!", while Dan says, "No, there's still a million bucks on the board--open another case!"

In December, I wrote about the shakeup our family experienced as a result of the loss of Dan's employment. Over the course of the many weeks that followed, he stayed extremely busy searching and applying for new opportunities, sending out resumes and making multiple phone calls. He was even interviewed a handful of times, but all of this effort seemed to be taking us nowhere. Never before has he had this type of difficulty finding a job, but he remained optimistic, for the most part.

Towards the end of February, a new vision began to take shape: Dan's heart has always been set on owning his own business, and the timing seemed to be right to begin this adventure. A new spark lit his eyes, his energy was renewed, and he worked around the clock to get it up and running. Licenses were obtained, ads and business cards were printed up for the new water pump and purification venture. Our family began to feel the excitement, and we all gathered around him in support. The pieces were all coming together, with hardly a hitch-- Dan was able to obtain a personalized phone number and website, submit his ads to the phone book advertisers just before the deadline, and we set up a booth at a local health and wellness show, where we obtained over 130 leads. We felt on top of the world, and couldn't wait to see what other blessings God had in store for us.

Then came the curve ball. Dan received a phone call from one of the men who had interviewed him for a sales position back in December. He didn't obtain that job, but had been flown to Philadelphia to interview for a project management position for the same corporation. We waited and prayed, prayed and waited to hear something, anything, but they just told him to "hold tight". We did, but then started to loosen our grasp as the weeks passed by with no word. But now this gentleman was calling to offer Dan the position after all, and to negotiate the salary specifics. He would receive wonderful benefits, a matching 410K plan, as well as other perks.

Our feelings were mixed, but the elation we would've felt, had this call come weeks ago, was noticeably absent. Confusion was prevalent, as we all felt that God had been opening all the doors for us regarding the fledgling business. Once we'd talked at length about the situation, I was sure Dan was going to say that he would turn down the job and continue on the path he'd forged.

I was wrong.

He spent much time praying, searching his heart, and speaking with other Godly men, who know the pressures of being the head of the household and breadwinner of the family. "It's a good problem to have," he heard over and over. No, we decided, it definitely was not. A good problem would have been to have two or three lucrative offers on the table several months ago. The decision between taking a risk to fulfill your life's ambition or to take the sure bet so that you know your children will have food in their bellies and clothes on their backs is not a 'good problem' to have. Please understand, I do have complete comprehension that there are far worse situations we could be dealing with....after all, God has faithfully provided all we have needed throughout this critical time, and has ensured that we have remained healthy and happy as well.

When standing at this fork in the road, unable to see what lies beyond the bend, it all comes down to this: the uncertainty of depending fully on the ability of a start-up business to bring in enough cash to not only experience growth, but to support the needs of our family... or moving into the position that would offer stability and surety. Dan is choosing to accept the Banker's offer, rather than take the risk of opening one more case in hopes that it holds the big money, and I can't say I blame him. His decision shows me that he is truly concerned about the economy, and about using our retirement funds to bankroll our endeavor.


There is a peace that comes with this decision, the peace of knowing that a paycheck will be issued regularly, that we'll no longer have to depend on our savings accounts to keep the refrigerator filled and the lights on. However, a lingering doubt remains....is this new job offer a test to determine our commitment to GW Pumps & Purification, as well as our faith in the Lord's provision? Or is it a Divine detour, because He knows that the funds GW would bring in wouldn't be sufficient, and this is, in fact, His method of providing for us?

We have come to the conclusion that the decision doesn't have to necessarily be as black and white as we were making it out to be. Dan's a color-outside-the-lines kind of a guy, and is planning on blazing his own trail. As time-consuming and energy-draining as it will be, we have decided to continue to move toward the goal of growing the business, as Dan also serves as Project Manager for his new employer. He'll be traveling quite a bit, as he'll be responsible for an even larger territory than he was with his previous employer--the entire East Coast. We are thankful for this answer to prayer, and are looking forward to seeing many more of God's promises come to pass.

And we'll do it with insurance cards in our pockets.

And we know that in all things God works

for the good of those who love Him...

Romans 8:28