Article October 1, 2007 ISSUE

Our livelihood—entrusted to God

BY JOAN MIKKELSEN

I'VE ALWAYS LOVED the idea that it is never foolish to hope, especially when this hope is based on a solid conviction that God's law of compassion and goodness carries us through tough times. One experience in particular helped me deepen my trust in God and gain freedom from financial debt and business-related turmoil.

In April 2003, my husband came home one day terribly worried about the steel manufacturing business we'd owned for ten years. Not only had it begun to falter in the past 18 months, but our accountant was suggesting that we might have to file for bankruptcy. A number of disrupting factors had merged all at once—a generally sluggish US economy, a severe downturn in our company's niche industry, and increased pressure from our bank to repay large loans. While I'd known that things were not going well, it was distressing to learn that our business was now on the verge of collapse.