There could be some very big changes coming to my family, which will definitely affect my marriage. My husband applied for a new job and has to call today to set up the interview appointment. The reason this would be such a change is because it is a traveling job.
Now if this opportunity had come up even a couple of years ago, I would have been completely against the idea. I would never have thought that my husband traveling could be a good thing for our family. But to be honest, that really would have been rooted in selfishness.
Let me explain…first, you have to understand that my husband has worked at the same job, for the same grocery store for more than a couple of decades. There have been so many times he has wanted to get out. What has usually stopped him is job security. He has done well for himself and enabled me to be a stay-at-home mom when our three children were younger.
His job security and salary has also been my source of comfort. When he would consider other possibilities, I would always get this panicky feeling. I didn’t want to give up what we had. I wasn’t thinking about his happiness, though. I was mostly thinking of keeping our family comfortable.
Comfort is a nice thing. We feel secure and safe when we are comfortable. Getting out of our comfort zones can be very difficult. We never know what is on the other side.
But since I have been so blessed in the last year and a half and finally understood what it means to work in a job you truly enjoy, I have come to see how selfish I have been. I want my husband to be happy. Will this job make him happy? I really don’t know. But I am willing to give it a shot.
Now of course, nothing could end up coming of this. I don’t know what his competition is. I don’t know how many others are applying (although, I would assume enough since the job market is what it is). But for the first time, I am learning to let go of what feels safe and putting my husband’s happiness first.
While I have no problems doing this in other areas, his job has always been one that I have held onto with an iron tight grip. But now I need to trust that what is best for him is what will come to pass.
Even if he doesn’t get the job, he will at least know that I care more about him and his happiness than I do anything else.
Now it’s time for you to do some introspection and ask yourself, “What things in my life have I put before my husband’s happiness?” It could be your children, your career, your volunteer efforts, your wants, your plans…the list could go on.
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