Skip to main content

All is Fun Games Until There is a Flood

I was taking down the Christmas decorations on December 26th. This is earlier than normal for me but, our live Christmas tree wasn't so alive anymore. If we left it in the house any longer, it may have caused a forest fire. As I was cleaning, I needed a piece of paper to make a list. I walked into our office and heard the water on outside. Only, the water didn't sound very outside to me. As I inched closer to the wall where the spicket lay on the other side, it sounded like rushing water inside the wall. With each step I took, I walked deeper into the puddle. Our office was flooded.

A few days later, the motor in our dryer died. That same morning, I dropped my phone in my coffee. This wouldn't be that big of a deal since we have insurance on the phone, but I had already used it for a previously cracked screen.

Welcome 2017. What else do you got for me?

I am currently sitting in our (freezing) office listening to the plumber bang loudly on the exterior wall removing bricks to find the broken pipe. The exposed concrete in this room makes the bitter cold outside come in.

I seem to be that girl that has the "out of my control" things happen to her more often than not. Whether it be a car issue, technology problem, or a flood in the home, I am your gal. I used to be the freak-out type. I would become angry and frustrated wondering why on earth all this junk is happening to me when I follow the rules and do the right stuff. I would cry and whine leaving myself to feel overwhelmed and out of control.

The day of the flood, my husband frantically tore up carpet. We moved his 600 pound desk and shelves (I am not exaggerating) to get every last saturated bit out. I stayed quiet and let him lead. There was no room for husband and wife banter. After all was said and done, we stood there looking at concrete floors and books piled high on the window sill. We were defeated. We were frustrated. We were tired. This was our fifth water issue in this house. Honestly, I was ready to throw in the towel.

But, that is not what came out of our mouths.

"Cast your burden upon the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." Psalm 55:22

What did come out of us was apologies for short-tempers and empathy towards one another.

Many of us start the new year hopeful that things will be better than the prior year. If the year before was a good one, we are hopeful we can sustain that trend. None of us look forward to the trials and challenges a new year brings. We don't like to think that way. What we don't realize is, strains and life junk doesn't care if the calendar year changed. It's still going to come. How we perceive and react is what matters.

My husband and I sat on the couch last night after getting home from basketball practices, work, and the many goings-on of the day. We both looked tired and worn out. Our faith, however, remained strong because we know the One who sustains us.

We can be pushed and shoved. Our world can and will be rocked. Lousy things will happen out of our control. Thus is life. The one thing that gets us through all the nonsense is knowing Who sustains us. When we look to the Sustainer, our perspective shifts. No longer do we think our world is going to end. We have a renewed fight in us that keeps us going through the frustrations. We know there is an end to all the madness because we have been here before.

Life is life. It doesn't matter if it is December 31st or January 1st. The good, the bad, and the ugly are going to come our way. Question is: who is going to sustain us?

"...I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

Love & Blessings,
Meg

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Holy Holy

I can't stop singing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." Scott and I went to the "big" ultrasound today where we tested to see if our baby had Down's, one of the Trisomy disorders, or any neural tube defects. I must admit the palms were a little sweaty and the heart was racing a bit. As surreal as this pregnancy is, I don't want anything to be wrong with this precious life inside of me. Well, holy is right. The Lord is not just good; He is awesome! Our little baby instantly began moving and grooving for us showing off fingers and toes and a great heart beat! Even though I am on my third, watching the miracle of life on that screen NEVER gets old! It truly blows my mind every time I get to see our precious angels developing inside of me! The scan came out wonderfully. We got all positives on all the scans the doctor (who was absolutely INCREDIBLE) could do. Now we just wait for some blood work to confirm that everything is okay with our little boy. ...

The Cup

I walked into the kitchen and spotted a blue solo cup on the counter. The following conversation played out in my head: "Whose cup is this? Which kid took out yet another cup? Didn't I ask them to stop getting a new cup every time they needed a drink? What is wrong with these people? They obviously don't ever listen to me." In the midst of my frustration, I realized the cup was mine. Oopsies. Good thing I didn't speak those words aloud. I went on with my life and my to-do list leaving MY cup right where I found it. I am the grown-up and can leave my cup where ever my grown-up heart desires. I came back into the kitchen a little while later and saw the cup again. I completely forgot the cup was mine so I rehashed the above conversation in my head. I was baffled by who left that cup on the counter. And then I remembered it was me. Again. Y'all, I did this two more times throughout the night. It was like Groundhog's Day but I was the only one celebrat...

Baby on the Floor

Yesterday I was putting a couple of things in the closet for the baby of what is going to be the nursery. Jackson was helping me and asked me where the baby was going to live. I told him where and he was excited since the room is next to his. Later that night Scott and I asked him where the baby was going to sleep and he responded by telling us that the baby was going to sleep in his room. When I asked him where in his room he told me, "on the floor." Scott antagonized him telling him that the baby would not sleep in his room but in the nursery. Jackson got mad at him and yelled over and over again that the baby was sleeping in his room on the floor. Oh my...it starts already!