Having Faith in Your Marriage and Your Wallet

It’s going around the blogosphere that my husband and I are both unemployed. With no emergency fund and very little alternative income streams, this is going to be one of the toughest times in our marriage, and we were just married 3 months ago. I could be depressed, upset, and freaking out, but that’s not going to help any. Instead, I’m choosing to have faith that God will bring us through it. We’re not the only couple experiencing a rough time. We’re also not the first, and won’t be the last.

During this time that my husband is laid off, since it’s supposed to be temporary, we’re going to focus on building our faith, our marriage, and our income. The first place we’re turning to is the Lord, because we both know he’s more than good; he’s able. There’s several bible verses that have already proven that things will be okay for us:

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19

We’re humans and one of the things humans do is stress about things we need. “Are we going to be able to keep a roof over our head?” “Will we be able to keep food on the table?” These are things that we need. This verse tells us that God will meet these needs. It may not be in our earthly vision how it’ll happen, but it’s going to happen. I have faith that this is true, so I give that burden to him because he’ll take care of our needs.

On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2

This is where we made a mistake in the first place. We were so focused on living paycheck to paycheck, we did not allow for savings, which could’ve acted as our emergency fund. We will be sure that even with the small amount we’ll have coming in, we put some money aside for inevitable expenses. Every little bit will help; it’s all about keeping it consistent.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. - Romans 13:8

Being in debt is hard for anyone. Someone compared debt to a form of slavery, which could be a bit extreme, but understandable. The feeling of not owing anyone anything is incomparable. My husband and I love each other, and we will rely on that to stay together during this time of financial struggle.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? - Mark 8:36

My personal favorite verse in the Bible, it speaks volumes. Many people would rather be rich and not have to worry about struggling with bills or getting by day to day. While yes, this is a difficult position to be in, I’m still me. I’m not going to change who I am, compromise my values, for some money. This means I’m not going to go against my morals if an opportunity for a large amount of money comes about. If I’m not comfortable with it, I’m not going for it. The money isn’t worth it.

A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it! - Proverbs 13:16

I’m known by many people as being a planner. I hate not having a plan, and admittedly, we did not plan ahead for this possibility, of us both being out of work with rent, car notes, credit card bills, and food to put on the table. But, it’s not too late. We can brainstorm a plan to how we’re going to deal with this with the resources we have. We won’t be caught without a plan in the future!

Like I said, this is going to be a difficult time, but God has already let me know that He will keep us, He will make sure we’re safe, He will take care of what we need. All we have to do is believe in Him.

Are you going through a difficult time? Or perhaps you’ve been through a financial struggle and God has seen you through it. Meet us in the comments and let us know your story!