WRITTEN BY TIM LABRECHE
I shared in January that when we think of the word tandem, the word that comes to mind most often is a tandem bicycle. Most of us will envision a couple on a beautiful summer day, smiling and pedaling in unison. It’s truly a romantic and sweet picture. I also mentioned that sometimes tandem can also look like you’re skydiving in tandem and hurling towards an unknown outcome. The parachute might not open. The chute may have been packed wrong and not open at all. You could land in a tree and get stuck there. I’ve shared before about the journey that brought us to Le Mars from Holland, Michigan. Looking back, it felt like we were hurling towards the earth at 120 mph, like jumping out of a plane. If you haven’t read it before, here’s a quick timeline:
Fall of 2005
- I prayed that God would make me wholly dependent on Him. (Side note: let your spouse know before you pray this so they have a heads up of what’s about to come.)
- I was laid off two weeks before my 10th anniversary at my job managing JP’s Coffee & Espresso Bar in Holland, Michigan.
- Very difficult time finding work.
Spring of 2006
- Had the opportunity to own our own coffee shop. We purchased an existing shop that was recently closed by a couple who wanted to retire and closed their doors.
Summer and Fall of 2008
- Despite surpassing the previous owner’s sales, the recession was in full force, and we couldn’t keep the doors open.
- Very difficult time finding work. Again.
Late Winter / Early Spring of 2009
- Still no work. Since we couldn’t pay our mortgage, we received a foreclosure notice on our home. That was my rock bottom. I couldn’t provide my family with a home to live in.
Summer 2009
- Sold our home on short sale before it was foreclosed on.
- Moved our family in with our in-laws in Northern Michigan.
- Found a job within two weeks of moving there.
Summer 2009 – Spring 2010
- Learned why they went through manager after manager. It was an absolutely horrific working environment.
- On Sunday, March 28th, 2010, I drove home yelling at God (really yelling and screaming) after the experience I had at work that day.
Monday, March 29th, 2010
- I called my friend, whose store I managed for ten years, and thanked him for ten years of a job I loved going to every day.
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
- He called me back and said he might know of a coffee shop in Iowa that might need a manager.
- I called and talked to a gentleman named Mike about their new coffee shop. The talk went well, and he suggested he and his wife and me and my wife talk again on Thursday.
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
- Mike and Cheryl, Sheila and I talk on the phone. They asked if we could come out that weekend to see their new coffee shop, Habitué, in Iowa. We agree to come.
April 2-4, 2010
- It was a whirlwind weekend of learning about the coffee shop, getting to know Mike and Cheryl a bit, and getting familiar with Le Mars.
That entire weekend, we prayed that we would follow God’s will and not ours. As we prayed throughout the weekend, I kept sensing that if a position was offered, accepting it would be like stepping out of the boat in faith.
What do I mean by that? Matthew 19:24-33 tells the story of the disciples in a boat in the middle of the night when a dangerous storm rises up. They’re scared and terrified. It reads:
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
When Peter realized it was Jesus on the water, he saw his salvation from the storm in front of him and trusted that Jesus would protect him. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the storm again, he started to succumb to the storm. While praying that weekend, I was still in the midst of a torrential storm in my life. My family was still living in northern Michigan. The kids were away from their friends in school and we were distanced from our close friends too. I still had the job that I hated going to every day. We still had the mountain of debt that came with the situation we had been living through. In the midst of all of that, we could not risk taking our eyes off of our Savior at all in the process.
Amid the storm, we kept our gaze on our Savior, who delivered us safely on dry land. We never let go of Him through the trials. We knew we couldn’t get through what we were going through on our own. We had to follow Him where He led, even if that was in a freefall hurling towards Iowa, which we came to love and call home. It’s amazing how He works!
What about you? Do you find yourself sinking in the waters of your current trials and tribulations? Does it feel like you’re plummeting towards a complete catastrophe and ruin? I would encourage you to tether yourself to your Savior daily to be reminded of God’s promise to never leave you nor forsake you by reading Matthew 19:24-33 and ask our God to save you before you drown in the waves of your trials.
