Shari's Story
Loving the Dream While Living Through the Reality
I love my husband, and I believe in the purpose God has placed on our lives.
But I also believe that purpose requires stewardship.
When I think about everything our family has experienced, I realize that this journey has challenged me in ways I never expected.
I've had to examine what it means to be a wife, a mother, a woman of faith, and an individual with dreams and aspirations of my own. I've had to learn how to support someone I love without losing sight of what I need. And I've had to discover what faith looks like when life doesn't unfold the way I imagined.
Loving Someone With a Big Dream
Being married to an entrepreneur comes with a unique set of challenges.
There is excitement in watching someone you love pursue something meaningful. There is pride in seeing their gifts, their passion, and their determination.
But there can also be uncertainty.
There were times when I felt constantly on edge because I didn't know what was coming next financially. Sometimes I wished my husband had a regular job, something predictable, something that would provide a steady foundation for our family. That didn't mean I stopped believing in him. It meant I was tired of the instability.
I wanted to know that our household would be secure, that our children would be provided for, and that the decisions being made would support our family rather than continually placing additional pressure on it.
I believe a business should eventually add to the household, not consistently take away from our everyday needs. And I believe that supporting a spouse's calling should include prayer, careful decisions, honest conversations, and accountability.
When the Pressure Reached Our Home
As our financial circumstances became more difficult, I found myself carrying emotions that were sometimes hard to express.
There was fear. There was frustration. There was disappointment. And there were questions. The possibility of losing our home was especially difficult.
A home is more than a financial asset. It's where your family builds memories.
It's where your children experience moments that become part of their childhood.
It's where you imagine creating a sense of safety and belonging.
Facing the possibility that those things could change was painful.
At the same time, I knew that we couldn't simply wish our circumstances away.
We needed to face what was happening and make decisions that would help us move forward.
What Marriage Has Been Teaching Me
Marriage vows mean something to me. But I've learned that keeping those vows requires more than loving someone and hoping everything works out. Marriage requires effort. It requires communication. It requires honesty, transparency, boundaries, and the willingness to have uncomfortable conversations.
During this season, Jaret and I have had to talk about things that should not be ignored. We've had to discuss our expectations, how decisions are made, what support looks like, and how we can become better partners. I've also had to communicate that I need intentional time, shared parenting responsibilities, and a meaningful voice in decisions that affect our family. I don't want to feel like I'm simply along for the ride. I want us to build together. And building together means that both people must be heard.
You can believe in someone's dream and still need stability, honesty, and a plan.
My Dream Matters, Too
Long before this season, I had a dream of becoming a teacher. I've spent years working with young children, helping them learn, develop, and discover what they're capable of. Teaching has never been just a job to me. It's a calling. I want to create a classroom where children feel seen, valued, supported, and capable. I want to be the kind of educator who helps children recognize their strengths, even when they don't yet recognize those strengths in themselves. Pursuing my teaching certification has required sacrifice. There have been financial sacrifices, time commitments, and moments when I had to put other things aside to continue working toward this goal.
Student teaching has been especially demanding because it requires a significant investment of time without the financial compensation our household could have used. But I also find purpose in the work. And this experience has reminded me that my dreams are important. I don't want our future to be built around one person's calling while the other person's aspirations are continually delayed.
I want us to build a future where both of our callings have room to grow without one person's dream consistently costing the other person their peace or progress.
When I Cried Out to God
My relationship with God has also changed during this season. I've been learning to know Him more deeply as Abba Father. Not simply as someone I pray to when I need something, but as the Father I can come to when I don't have the strength to pretend everything is okay. There was a moment when I found myself crying out to God in a marketplace.
I remember saying:
“God, where are You? Please help us. This is too much to bear!”
That was a real moment. It wasn't polished. It wasn't a carefully prepared prayer.
It was the cry of someone who was overwhelmed. And I believe those moments belong in our conversations about faith, too. Sometimes faith looks like worship.
Sometimes it looks like remembering the hymns that have carried you through difficult seasons. Sometimes it looks like accepting encouragement from people around you. And sometimes faith looks like crying, questioning, and asking God for help because you don't know what else to do. I've learned that I don't have to pretend I'm strong every moment. I can be honest about how I feel and still believe that God is present.
Why I'm Willing to Share Our Story
At first, I was hesitant about sharing our circumstances publicly. I wondered what people would think. I worried about how much of our private life would become part of a public conversation. And I still believe there are boundaries that should be respected, especially when it comes to our children. Our family deserves dignity.
Our children deserve privacy. We don't have to reveal every personal detail for our story to be meaningful. But I've also come to understand that vulnerability can help people. There may be another wife who feels overwhelmed by the financial uncertainty of entrepreneurship. There may be another mother who is trying to hold her family together while quietly carrying her own fears. There may be another woman who loves her husband but needs him to understand that love and support must also include responsibility. And there may be someone who is questioning God in the middle of a painful season and wondering whether that makes their faith any less real.
If sharing my experience helps someone feel seen, encouraged, or empowered to have an honest conversation, then I believe something meaningful can come from what we've endured.
What I Want to Change
If this campaign reaches its financial goal, my first thought won't be about celebrating or buying something new. My first thought will be about getting organized. I want us to sit down, review the numbers, create spreadsheets, prioritize our obligations, and develop a plan that helps us maintain stability. I want us to build an emergency fund.
I want us to reduce debt. I want us to seek professional advice when we need it.
I want us to make thoughtful financial decisions together. And I want us to learn how to manage what we have before taking on new commitments. Faith and practical responsibility should work together. I don't want us to simply get through this season and return to the same habits. I want lasting change.
What Success Means to Me
Success isn't simply reaching $250,000. Success is peace in our home. Success is financial stability. Success is raising children who understand responsibility, faith, and the importance of making wise decisions. Success is a marriage where both people feel heard, respected, and supported. Success is having room for Jaret's calling and my own. Success is making decisions with God at the center while also doing the practical work required to honor those decisions. And success is being able to look back on this season and recognize that we grew. Not just financially.
But emotionally, spiritually, and as a family.
We're Still in the Middle of It
I don't know exactly how our story will unfold. There are still difficult decisions ahead.
There are still things we have to work through. There are still lessons we are learning.
But I know that I don't want this experience to be meaningless. I want us to grow from this experience, not simply survive it. I want our marriage to become stronger.
I want our family to become more secure. I want our dreams to have a healthier foundation. And I want the lessons we've learned to help someone else who may be facing a similar season.
We are not at the end of our story. We are in the middle of it.
I want the pain to mean something. I want the lessons to change us. And when we look back on this season, I want to be able to say that we didn't just get through it.
We allowed God to work in us, and we became better because of it.
THERE'S PURPOSE IN THE PAIN.
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