Now in Sydney with Ian’s parents, we investigated long-term employment and made ends meet with his General Practice locums. My stress accrued with his long hours away, morning sickness, and our unsettled, energetic boys. Our morale sunk lower with each long-term job prospect that turned out negative. We had insufficient funds to buy into any practice, without incurring a huge loan—a burden we didn’t want to bear. As parents would understand, we longed to exit this instability, sleep in our own beds, and get a steady income. Weeks turned to months. Each day, we prayed and seriously sought God in the Bible. Ian felt confident that God was leading us along the best pathway for our lives (Psalms 32:8).
Whenever anxiety rolls in like a black cloud, I try to remember the memorable way God taught me that He really means what He said: Do not be anxious (Matthew 6:25).
It bugged me that my husband, Ian, didn’t stress like I did. In the morning, he went off to work, happy to treat patients while I tackled the housework and kids, and stewed over difficulties. We had moved 15 times since marriage three and a half years before. I’d given birth to two children, and now expected another. Where would this baby be born? The kids cried so much. I felt nauseous. Oh, to stop the world and get off, but Ian and the boys depended on me. How did we get here?
We had recently returned to Australia after 15 months in England, where Ian did postgraduate paediatric training. We had used up our savings, needed to find a job and home, and badly needed rest: Ian had worked in five different NHS hospitals doing 60-80 hour weeks, on call one in two nights and weekends, with six house moves. Now in Sydney with Ian’s parents, we investigated long-term employment and made ends meet with his General Practice locums. My stress accrued with his long hours away, morning sickness, and our unsettled, energetic boys. Our morale sunk lower with each long-term job prospect that turned out negative. We had insufficient funds to buy into any practice, without incurring a huge loan—a burden we didn’t want to bear. As parents would understand, we longed to exit this instability, sleep in our own beds, and get a steady income.
Weeks turned to months. Each day, we prayed and seriously sought God in the Bible. Ian felt confident that God was leading us along the best pathway for our lives (Psalms 32:8). Making God’s principles our priorities, we trusted Jesus’ words: Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you (Matthew 6:33).
After a series of jobs, Ian netted a six-week locum in a distant suburb. He phoned around and, against all odds, found a furnished rental home for that time. Delighted to be a nuclear unit again, we packed our bags and rocked up to our new home. I stifled a groan as I looked at the ramshackle building and overgrown garden. Pulling my coat tighter around me, we stepped into the dimly-lit rooms to see some chairs, a table, bed, and basic kitchen equipment. I tried to be thankful at the prospect of glorified camping. Yes, I could endure six weeks here, but how many more jobs and moves could we handle? I poured out my complaints to God but hardly expected a response.
Having had breakfast, with nothing in the house to keep us entertained or warm, I bundled the boys into the pram, hoping for relief with fresh air and exercise. As we walked past houses, I recalled my thoughts as a bride marrying a doctor with a good income and planned my dream house and garden. But as we sought God, the power of pursuing money and status bowed to a much bigger goal: serving—to spread God’s good Kingdom on earth.