Thankful for the Trials
We are just amazed at the outpouring of love and generosity of spirit our housing situation has brought out. Although we do need to seek cheaper housing in another state, we are not destitute, but more than one family has offered to open their homes to us... and they were serious!
Now, while I may offer a place in my home to someone who really needs it, I am not sure I would invite us. We're pretty high maintenance and we come with a lot of baggage. Dogs, cats, a very distractable woman with memory problems and a man who doesn't really notice when a room needs to be tidied up.
Imagine the reaction of the host family when they find undies in the freezer, week old food in the microwave and water left running all night. Just picture their response as our old, half blind dog Higgins barks to be let in and out 15 to 18 times an evening and the cats claim a room of their own and insist people sit down and provide laps for them to languish on.
Most trying of all, however, would be me trying to help out around the house. I would start to vacuum, see a letter I want to answer, leave the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the room to go get paper to write on. Then as I sit down to jot a quick reply to my friend, I might notice the chair has a loose rung and decide to get out the wood glue... on the way back to the chair, I might see towels messy on the rack in the bathroom and stop to straighten them. Of course I leave the bathroom without the wood glue and I have by now forgotten all about the letter, chair and vacuum. I am off to the post office or bank or grocery but forget to put a sticky note on the dash so never actually go to my destination. By the end of the day, the vacuum cleaner is still in the middle of the living room, my partly written letter is on the table, the wood glue is in the bathroom and I have burned $10 worth of gas... plus I am tired beyond meaningful conversation because I was busy all day and my brain is fried.
Blessedly, we do not need to depend on the generous hospitality and love of these beautiful people to meet our housing needs. But the greater blessing is the Christ-like willingness, even eagerness on their part to bring us into their homes and share what they have with us. We are deeply touched by that and are praising God for their goodness.
I am so glad we were brought to this place. Yes, that's right, I am praising God for the very situation about which I was so worried just a few days ago. It is in the hard places and the dry places and the places of uncertainty that we grow the most and can be all the more aware of God's loving provision.
Although I would never choose them for myself, I am thankful for the trials.
Now, while I may offer a place in my home to someone who really needs it, I am not sure I would invite us. We're pretty high maintenance and we come with a lot of baggage. Dogs, cats, a very distractable woman with memory problems and a man who doesn't really notice when a room needs to be tidied up.
Imagine the reaction of the host family when they find undies in the freezer, week old food in the microwave and water left running all night. Just picture their response as our old, half blind dog Higgins barks to be let in and out 15 to 18 times an evening and the cats claim a room of their own and insist people sit down and provide laps for them to languish on.
Most trying of all, however, would be me trying to help out around the house. I would start to vacuum, see a letter I want to answer, leave the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the room to go get paper to write on. Then as I sit down to jot a quick reply to my friend, I might notice the chair has a loose rung and decide to get out the wood glue... on the way back to the chair, I might see towels messy on the rack in the bathroom and stop to straighten them. Of course I leave the bathroom without the wood glue and I have by now forgotten all about the letter, chair and vacuum. I am off to the post office or bank or grocery but forget to put a sticky note on the dash so never actually go to my destination. By the end of the day, the vacuum cleaner is still in the middle of the living room, my partly written letter is on the table, the wood glue is in the bathroom and I have burned $10 worth of gas... plus I am tired beyond meaningful conversation because I was busy all day and my brain is fried.
Blessedly, we do not need to depend on the generous hospitality and love of these beautiful people to meet our housing needs. But the greater blessing is the Christ-like willingness, even eagerness on their part to bring us into their homes and share what they have with us. We are deeply touched by that and are praising God for their goodness.
I am so glad we were brought to this place. Yes, that's right, I am praising God for the very situation about which I was so worried just a few days ago. It is in the hard places and the dry places and the places of uncertainty that we grow the most and can be all the more aware of God's loving provision.
Although I would never choose them for myself, I am thankful for the trials.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home