It was in September of 1985 that the big oil and gas bust hit West Texas. We had just moved to Midland in January of that year, as I had taken a position as a life and health producer with an agency in Odessa. We had seen the Lord answer several prayers and provide some direct guidance for us to move to Midland. One of the prayers He had answered was my returning to personal sales after five years in the corporate end of the insurance business. Even though I did not want to move back to West Texas, His guiding me to move back was unmistakable. I do remember on the drive moving out here, when we reached Abilene, half-joking and half-seriously telling the Lord, "I know you want me to move back to West Texas, but I am coming under protest."
However, the situation in Odessa seemed ready made as the agency owner was an old family friend who had approached me about the position when we ran into each other while I was working with some agents in Odessa. I had known this man since my childhood, and his agency was well known. They had never had a full time life and health producer, so when I arrived I was able to hit the ground running.
The first eight months back in West Texas and being back in personal sales was pretty amazing as I had opportunity after opportunity, to the extent the agency owner couldn't believe how much we were selling. Through July of that year I had already earned as much as I had for the entirety of the prior year. We were able to buy a new home and moved into it Labor Day weekend, and that's when things turned bad.
When we moved into the home, I had just closed a sale on a large employee benefit account and had also sold a large life insurance policy on a business owner. I had it all figured out as I was going to take the commission on the life insurance policy to pay for my taxes that year, and the commission from the employee benefit account would have covered the difference between my rent and the house payment. Of course, that is not how it happened as the bust hit that very month. On the large employee benefit account, when I showed up to collect all the applications and the check there were only three employees left, and they were out of business in two months. On the life insurance, when I took the policy out to the business owner to collect the money, he told me that he could either pay the insurance premium or the bank, and the bank would be getting paid.
Not only were these accounts affected, but most of my other insurance clients were as well and my commissions nose dived. So much of that time is still a blur, with bank failures and bankruptcies and high unemployment, which really carried on through 1986. In addition to this, the agency owner did not honor our agreement and withheld my part of the commission on a large life insurance policy I sold on an agency client, and used it to buy fur coats for his wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law for Christmas, all while rubbing my nose in it. Being in sales, I was paying my taxes quarterly and could not pay them, so I had to set up a note to pay off the IRS...after many conversations. What a difficult and trying time that next year was.
Looking back at that 12 month period I remember how the Lord provided for us time after time when our backs were against the wall and we were out of options, out of time, and out of prayers. Each month I would look at my commissions and we would not have enough to match our budget, but in God's providence things always worked out. We did not miss a house payment, we came out with our credit intact, and we did not go hungry. We saw His hand on our situation and His constant care. Even though we could not see a way out, His options were unlimited. Even though we would think we were out of time, His timing was always on time. He answered every prayer according to His will and His timing.
One of the truths that sustained me and encouraged me during that time was the story of Abraham. You may be familiar with the story in Genesis chapter twelve of God calling Abraham to the promised land, but what I think is the most important part of the story, is that the Lord brought him to the land He had promised him right in the middle of a famine. Was God surprised by that? Certainly not! It was in His plan for Abraham. During one of my prayers at that time, when I was asking the Lord why He would move us to Midland when He knew the bust was coming, this story came to my mind. I picked up my Bible and read it and I saw how the famine was in God's plan for Abraham and that God was using that time to train Abraham in trusting Him, and how gracious God was to him even when His faith was not perfect, and He opened my eyes to understand that, just as with Abraham, God knew what He was moving me into, and was using all that was going on in His training of me. My faith certainly was not perfect during that period of time, but the Lord extended His grace to me, just as He had done with Abraham.
We are going through such a time now in Midland. Low oil prices and the Corona Virus are working together to cause calamity for many in our community. People are losing their jobs or taking pay cuts, and the prospects for the immediate future seem pretty grim. But, again, this has not taken God by surprise and in all of this is the working out of His plan in the lives of each one of us who have a relationship with Him through faith in His Son as our savior.
This is a time He will use to demonstrate His faithfulness to us. This is time He will use to test our faith. This is a time He will use to train us to trust Him all the more. Let us look to Him, pray to Him, put our trust in Him, and remember that He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Let us not waste this opportunity to grow in our faith and our love for Him.
During this time let us exercise our faith by trusting Him, being strong, being steadfast, and being a blessing to those around us.
However, the situation in Odessa seemed ready made as the agency owner was an old family friend who had approached me about the position when we ran into each other while I was working with some agents in Odessa. I had known this man since my childhood, and his agency was well known. They had never had a full time life and health producer, so when I arrived I was able to hit the ground running.
The first eight months back in West Texas and being back in personal sales was pretty amazing as I had opportunity after opportunity, to the extent the agency owner couldn't believe how much we were selling. Through July of that year I had already earned as much as I had for the entirety of the prior year. We were able to buy a new home and moved into it Labor Day weekend, and that's when things turned bad.
When we moved into the home, I had just closed a sale on a large employee benefit account and had also sold a large life insurance policy on a business owner. I had it all figured out as I was going to take the commission on the life insurance policy to pay for my taxes that year, and the commission from the employee benefit account would have covered the difference between my rent and the house payment. Of course, that is not how it happened as the bust hit that very month. On the large employee benefit account, when I showed up to collect all the applications and the check there were only three employees left, and they were out of business in two months. On the life insurance, when I took the policy out to the business owner to collect the money, he told me that he could either pay the insurance premium or the bank, and the bank would be getting paid.
Not only were these accounts affected, but most of my other insurance clients were as well and my commissions nose dived. So much of that time is still a blur, with bank failures and bankruptcies and high unemployment, which really carried on through 1986. In addition to this, the agency owner did not honor our agreement and withheld my part of the commission on a large life insurance policy I sold on an agency client, and used it to buy fur coats for his wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law for Christmas, all while rubbing my nose in it. Being in sales, I was paying my taxes quarterly and could not pay them, so I had to set up a note to pay off the IRS...after many conversations. What a difficult and trying time that next year was.
Looking back at that 12 month period I remember how the Lord provided for us time after time when our backs were against the wall and we were out of options, out of time, and out of prayers. Each month I would look at my commissions and we would not have enough to match our budget, but in God's providence things always worked out. We did not miss a house payment, we came out with our credit intact, and we did not go hungry. We saw His hand on our situation and His constant care. Even though we could not see a way out, His options were unlimited. Even though we would think we were out of time, His timing was always on time. He answered every prayer according to His will and His timing.
One of the truths that sustained me and encouraged me during that time was the story of Abraham. You may be familiar with the story in Genesis chapter twelve of God calling Abraham to the promised land, but what I think is the most important part of the story, is that the Lord brought him to the land He had promised him right in the middle of a famine. Was God surprised by that? Certainly not! It was in His plan for Abraham. During one of my prayers at that time, when I was asking the Lord why He would move us to Midland when He knew the bust was coming, this story came to my mind. I picked up my Bible and read it and I saw how the famine was in God's plan for Abraham and that God was using that time to train Abraham in trusting Him, and how gracious God was to him even when His faith was not perfect, and He opened my eyes to understand that, just as with Abraham, God knew what He was moving me into, and was using all that was going on in His training of me. My faith certainly was not perfect during that period of time, but the Lord extended His grace to me, just as He had done with Abraham.
We are going through such a time now in Midland. Low oil prices and the Corona Virus are working together to cause calamity for many in our community. People are losing their jobs or taking pay cuts, and the prospects for the immediate future seem pretty grim. But, again, this has not taken God by surprise and in all of this is the working out of His plan in the lives of each one of us who have a relationship with Him through faith in His Son as our savior.
This is a time He will use to demonstrate His faithfulness to us. This is time He will use to test our faith. This is a time He will use to train us to trust Him all the more. Let us look to Him, pray to Him, put our trust in Him, and remember that He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Let us not waste this opportunity to grow in our faith and our love for Him.
During this time let us exercise our faith by trusting Him, being strong, being steadfast, and being a blessing to those around us.
