Throughout my life, I’ve taken several “leaps of faith”. Some have been riskier than others, but none have come as quickly or as obviously as they have in the last 21 months. Our “leaps” began as soon as we got pregnant. We found out at only 4 weeks along. I had never met anyone who found out so soon! But I was grateful for finding out early as it was the first of several times we were forced to fully rely on God’s will and provision. I knew that many things could happen in the first trimester and I wasn’t in control of a single one of them. The only thing I could do was pray constantly that God would protect our new baby during such a questionable time. Thank God, I was fortunate to experience a {mostly} enjoyable pregnancy. This, however, was only the first “leap” we would take.

 Our next “leap” opportunity came in the form of a financial crossroad. Growing up, I was raised by a stay-at-home mom. I have so many memories of the days I spent with her and my siblings, and I have always planned to do the same with my own children. It was a decision my husband and I quickly made, until we looked at the numbers. They didn’t add up. At all. My husband is also a teacher and we all know teachers aren’t exactly raking it in. I prayed and prayed, seeking guidance on whether I wanted to stay home to relive my childhood, or because I truly felt convicted to do so. My conviction was affirmed when my husband agreed it would be best for me to stay home, and the mad dash to figure out expenses began. A sold car here, some refinancing there, and plenty of other cuts later we’re making it happen. But the funny thing is, we don’t miss a single thing we’ve sacrificed. Through our financial “leap”, God has showed us what brings real joy and we haven’t looked back.

 After being home with Baby Girl for about 5 months, I started to get the “itch”. I know my teacher friends know exactly what I’m talking about – that “itch” you get when you’ve been on break for a while and you’re ready to get back into the classroom to try out all the great ideas you’ve come up with. The only problem was I had no classroom to go back to and Baby Girl wasn’t exactly ready for homeschool. So, I decided to take a personal “leap” – I opened a TeachersPayTeachers store. It may not sound like a big deal, but this one was more difficult for me than any of the others. I’m not usually one to put myself out there, but what was there to lose? Even if I listed products that didn’t sell, I’d be putting my education and passion for teaching to some creative use while Baby Girl napped. Once again, God has blessed my trust! While I’m not making a fortune, putting in some extra work during naptimes has allowed me to help pay a bill here and there, which is huge right now!

 And now here I am, probably taking my biggest personal “leap” and throwing our story out there for people to read. I have felt God carrying us through each “leap” we’ve taken, and it just doesn’t seem right to keep His faithfulness to our family a secret. We aren’t in our current situation because we have created this path for ourselves. We’re here because God has repeatedly opened doors, giving us opportunities to trust and obey Him. These open doors sometimes seem scary or uncomfortable, but have led to a deeper sense of trust in Him each time. I know that this is preparing us for even larger jumps in the future! I hope that you will find encouragement in our story, and seek guidance in areas where God is calling you to trust Him as well.