What a difference a year makes.

So Erin has been reminding me lately that tomorrow it will have been one full year since I was laid off at SelectBuild and our family was heading off for a week a Disneyland. I think she would rather forget unemployment, but would love to return to the happiest place on earth. I can truly say that this was a year that had am impact on us. Here are a few things comparatively, then from now.
1. Then; Being laid off by a large public company in financial trouble. Now; Working for a small private company with money in the bank.
2. Then; Living at our means. Now; Living beneath our means
3. Then; Good excuse for being stressed. Now: No excuse for being stressed.
4. Then; Wrestling with the faith that God would provide. Now; Wrestling with the fact that I ever doubted God's plan.
5. Then; Wife and Girls who loved me unemployed. Now Wife and Girls who love me employed.
6. Then; ESPN, NFL Network and HD Cable heading into football season. Now; Heading over to my brother-In-Law's house to watch the game.
7. Then; Secure, clothed, warm and too well fed. Now;Secure, clothed, warm and too well fed.
8. Then; uneasy about how much unstructured time I had. Now; Uneasy about being able to find enough unstructured time.
9. Then; Expensive Health Care. Now; Expensive Health Care.
10. Then; Wondering what God has up next. Now; Wondering what God has up next.

As you can see some things change and some stay the same. I think what I realize is the things that stay the same tend to really matter. They are things that are above the situations of life. They transcend our condition. Things that don't seem to matter as much tend to manifest themselves firmly in the now. It's funny that we want change in our lives, but we want to dictate where the change comes from. I honestly think God wrecks havoc on one area of your life that he knows you can recover form to shed light on another area he needs you to address before it wrecks you.
Blessed be the name of the Lord