Focus on the Family Magazine - February/March 2021

cOuPlES / RESILIENCE
The life of a freelancer
For as long as he can remember,
Jonny wanted to be a cartoonist.
When he was in sixth grade, a
vacation Bible school teacher gave
him a book—The World’s Greatest
Collection of Clean Jokes by Bob
Phillips—and added the inscription,
“Maybe someday you can come up
with jokes like this.”
In college, Jonny started sending
cartoons to magazines. He amassed
dozens of rejections before selling a
cartoon to Scripture Press for $15.
By then he was hooked. Two years
later he sold a cartoon to Leadership
magazine.
By the time Jonny met Carissa,
he had established a modest flow
of income by selling cartoons and
drawing caricatures at craft festivals
and carnivals.
In many regards, Jonny and
Carissa discovered they were a great
team. Ministering together at a
church camp, Carissa kept things
organized while Jonny interacted
with the kids. When Jonny drew caricatures
at fairs and schools, Carissa
managed the finances. Today Carissa
continues to handle much of the
minutiae of the business and helps
with marketing, too.
Financial stress, however, exacerbated
their differences.
Carissa adds, “Jonny’s a freelancer,
so everything is speculative. He
sends work out, and if it’s accepted,
we get paid. As someone who is
structured and likes to plan, this
isn’t exactly what I pictured for
myself. When we get a $30 sale, he’s
grateful, and I’m rolling my eyes
because there are $3,000 in bills
that month.”
When they see life through different
lenses, Jonny often tells Carissa
she needs to lighten up. She tells
him he needs to “heavy down.”
So how do they cope?
Meeting with Jesus
In the middle of their living room is
a round leather ottoman. It’s a great
place for TV remotes, snacks and
stockinged feet. It’s also one of the
places Jonny and Carissa regularly
meet with Jesus.
“When we pray together, it makes
all the difference in the world,” Jonny
says. “It softens our hearts and
reminds us that, ultimately, our trust
is in God, not in circumstances or
even each other.”
When they gather at the ottoman,
Jonny and Carissa are often joined
by their three kids—Nate, 21; Zach,
19; Kara, 13—and their dog, Blue.
“We always make a point to be
thankful for all the little things,”
Carissa adds. “Definitely, when
we were younger, we did more
complaining about things that
aren’t—but as we grow, we find
ourselves so grateful for the things
that are.”
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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
February / March 2021