Hemmed In
A few years ago, my husband was told that the company he worked for was going to fold. They told him this on Thursday and we had finalized the purchase of our home on that Monday. So, here we were, with a brand new house payment and the very real possibility of no job in the near future. He had a few months to figure out what his options were.
Behind Door number 1 we saw opportunities to move to another state. Not a very good option since we just bought a house. Slam!
Behind Door number 2 we saw jobs that used some of his skills, but were not really in his field. He sent in a few resumes with high hopes but it seemed that everywhere we turned, we kept running into closed doors. Slam!
Door number 3 was a management position in our area. Once again, he went through the interview process, wondering if this job was a fit, but also feeling a little desperate as his last days at work were drawing near. Thankfully, that door was shut also. Slam!
In our small community, it can be difficult to find a job and we didn’t feel like God was calling us to move so what were we supposed to do?
I would guess that each of us has had similar experiences. Doors closing left and right. It can make a person feel frustrated and wondering about God’s plans, OR it can be comforting. My husband quoted a verse to me during this frustrating time…a verse that I never quite understood.
Psalm 139:5
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
I think the idea of being hemmed in sounds a bit like being trapped, just like doors slamming all around me feels. Like when I got stuck at the bottom of the bed as a child all wrapped up in the blankets and I couldn’t figure out how to get out and I panicked. But I don’t think that’s what God does when He hems us in.
Yes, we may feel a little trapped because we can’t see which way to go, but He is making our choices simple by closing doors we shouldn’t barge through. He hems us in to protect us from wrong choices and bad decisions. It’s like being wrapped in a blanket of comfort, security and protection. And no matter how many doors He closes, He always leaves open the prayer door. We can still cry out to Him when we can’t see which way to go and He will answer. And eventually, He will open the right door for us at the right time.
In the end, we discovered that God had a perfect plan for us and it didn’t require moving or taking on a new job at all because my husband could stay at the same job in the same office doing the same work but with a new company. God knew which door had been open all along.
Heather – you are right. We sometimes get frustrated with what is happening around us, but He knows best and we just have to trust His choices.
Cool that your beloved was able to stay at his job 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us today…
Oh Heather,
This is excellent. We may also be facing this very same thing. It could be that my husband will be hemmed in that he meet Jesus face-to-face. I keep praying..
I will hold this scripture close. Thank you. Hugs, Lynn
Heather, This is a beautiful picture and application. Thank you so much for making me think of that verse in a different translation. I hadn’t seen the word hem there before.
When I think of a hem, I think of completing and protecting a garment from having it’s ends fray. By realizing we are hemmed in, we should have no reason to become frayed and worried about something being our undoing.
Have a blessed day.
What a great post. It is an encouragement to my heart as I am searching for a job. Thank you for sharing your heart with us today.
Very lovely my friend.
wow heather that’s awesome! Thank you God for your wisdom!
I have been in that position when my husband was laid off. It is scary, and he ended up taking a lesser paying job. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it led him to the manager position he holds today.