The Beginning......

First of all, let me explain the title of this blog, which I've basically only named over the last day, rather than my usual month or two thinking over a name. The beginning part "Chronicle of..." I just liked the sound of. The second half "... Good Courage" came from a wonderful Bible verse I saw on our refrigerator.

Psalm 27:14 NKJV
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

All of Psalm 27 is amazing, so I would recommend reading it, but that part is so important and beautiful. It was encouraging to me even before my Dad lost his job- and it is so true. God strengthened our hearts so often it was absolutely amazing.
I feel like I should explain the whole thing a little, so you can understand what it was like. But I don't think I can explain it. We were under satanic attack, and had been, for a long, long time. It took the last 10 years, possibly a lot longer, for 2014 and unemployment to be as bad as it was.
If you've ever experienced unemployment in some way, you probably know what it's like.
First you find out the job is gone. Thank God, we had a few months warning before they let him go. And then there's nothing. No job possibilities, no answers- just questions like, is there such a thing as another job possibility out there? Then there are possible jobs, interviews, another interview or two, maybe one in person, and then it goes away. Nothing again. Another job possibility, interviews, it goes away. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Another job possibility or two. They go away. Nothing.
I'll stop now. I can look back at it now and praise God that it's over. But I know there might be someone out there, reading it, who knows it all too well. I'm sorry.
Well, that's what this blog is for. It's not just for the people who are currently unemployed, but might be going through some problems, like health or marriage or relationships. It's here because we are here. We didn't get sucked down. We were not forgotten. You are not forgotten.
You'll find here some things I found helpful throughout our struggles. I'll be including the posts I wrote while we were going through the unemployment, probably including some thoughts I had behind it, or what was happening when I wrote it.
I don't really know how to say this, because I feel like if I compliment what I write, I'll be saying I'm wonderful. Well, I'm not complimenting myself. I'm not wonderful. I'm probably repeating what you already know! But God wrote His Word for us to read over and over again, even if we might know some of it well or it stuck the first time. We need to read it again. And God inspired me to write this. If ever there was a time when something was inspired or touched by God, this is it, and I'm not ashamed of it.
And there's something else. I'm not a show-your-emotions-all-the-time kind of person, and it's easy to think that unemployment isn't as bad as, say, fighting for your country (which, obviously it isn't) But it's OK to admit it is hard. I came to appreciate a song last year, a part of it saying: "He's there when you feel like letting go."
I didn't realize it but I felt like letting go. I was just so tired and ready for something to be better. So, dear readers, it's OK to admit you feel like letting go of life. It's OK to say you feel like everyone is attacking you and there is literally an enemy watching for you to falter.
God is there. I am the proof of it.
I don't know how to say that any better. God is right there. He can and will help you.