Friday, July 10, 2009

They Call Him the Fireman...




I call him MY MAN.



This is my husband, the firefighter. It's been a while since I blogged about what an amazing man he is, so here goes.

A little over a year ago, we made a joint decision that Justin should pursue a career in firefighting. I have never seen him make a decision of this magnitude with such confidence and resolve. I knew that God was all over it. Our hope and prayer was that the decision would ultimately lead to new and fulfilling careers for both Justin and myself.

The months of training that Justin endured gave me a totally new respect for him. Every morning at 6:00 he would drive to his full time day job, leave at 4:00 in the afternoon, drive twice that far to his fire academy and was there until 10:00 at night. He wasn't just sitting in a desk at the academy. Strenuous drills, workouts, EMT skills tests, and more were all part of his daily routine. Then he would drive back home, study for a few hours most nights, and finally get a little sleep. He did this for most of a year! I kid you not when I say that I never heard him complain, never saw him lose heart.

Jobs in firefighting (read the DMN article here) are scarce these days, so as the schooling drew to a close we prayed fervently that God would open doors. There were two cities that given his wish, Justin would choose for employment. Low and behold, of all the cities in our area, these were the two that were hiring within a few months of when Justin's schooling was completed. Beating ridiculous odds through the hiring process--beginning in a pool of approximately 100 applicants, undergoing surgery for appendicitis, passing a strenuous physical agility test despite elevated heart rate/blood pressure and being admitted to the ER, successfully participating in a panel interview with experts in the field --Justin was one of three hires for the city of Plano this year!

When we finally found out that Justin was officially hired we were super excited! I was super PROUD! But one thing I was not--surprised. I do not believe that God is some sort of celestial vending machine that gives me everything I ask for. But there are certainly times in life when we align our plans with God's desires and things have a funny way of turning out in our favor. There will be times that what God desires for me I do not understand, and I will take those in stride because I know that He is ALWAYS on the throne.

Anyway-- I just wanted to brag on my man and my God today. Like I have said before, I don't deserve either one, but that's what I've got and I'm not gonna argue!

Check this cool blog out!

5 comments:

  1. yeah! That is awesome...

    I don't deserve mine either, but I've got them, and that's beyond-me-awesome.

    Blessings,
    Sash

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loving your post for the day. It brings tears to my eyes as his mom. Our beloved Justin is an awesome son, husband, and father. He has always made us proud! As you probably have already begun to discover, a mother's love just grows and grows!

    Likewise, Justin is blessed to have you as his wife!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very proud for you both. God is in control and it is SO AWESOME to see Him work!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Keelie, I commented this between Sasha and Diana, but somehow it has disappeared.
    You did a wonderful job, as always, of sharing with us about Justin. I'm glad you linked to the Loving My Husband Friday.

    I know that Justin knows he is so blessed with you as his wife and mom to his kids.
    God is Amazing! It is neat to see His plan for your lives play out!
    Thank you for taking the time to blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. God's plans are amazing! Thanks for linking up and joining in Loving my Husband Friday. I prayed for you and your marriage.

    ReplyDelete