Under Construction
Trusting God in the Messy Middle of Life:
My family is currently “Under Construction” for an undetermined amount of time. Like all construction projects, it will likely wrap up late and over budget. So I suppose we better settle in. The girls are sporting their trendy sparkle casts, one on the left and the other on the right. All the kids who want to make their mom look real bad are wearing them. In our house, it's all the rage. One managed to trip on the flat carpet while toddling around the room likely with an overloaded backpack, heels, and no less than three purses. I have no actual proof, being that the only witness was a 3 year old with a fairly unreliable story. The second one got caught up in the inevitable spotlight a gymnast occasionally attracts and decided to “jump higher and run faster” so to speak. When your confidence outweighs your skills you blindly sprint into a “running cartwheel” and take a dive on your wrist. Sometimes that's just the burden a true athlete bears.
Meanwhile, very true to form, my Addie decided that she could make the most standard fall go out with a real bang. Not only would she entertain a buckle fracture, but she would spike a 3 day long fever as the icing on the cake. I think somehow she knew that would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, the cherry on top that would usher in her dictatorial rule over our household. After what seemed like buckets of tylenol, many sleepless hours, & constant carrying, she broke out the demands. I can still hear, “I WANT BLACKBERRIES!” and “MILK!” ringing in my ears. She has us trained just right. Everybody is too afraid of her mood swings to do anything other than what she commands. Oh yeah, and you can forget about all that potty training progress. We occasionally wonder when we might be reunited with the delightful toddler hidden within our new tyrant.
Our house is quite literally under construction and my parents are blessed with four house guests. We eat a lot, leave a consistent mess, and make a considerable amount of noise. I can’t imagine them ever wanting us to leave.
Our days are full and all around us change is taking place. I’m one of those girls who thinks she really likes change and then wonders why I’m always crying. Yet the Lord remains steadfast and good to me. Fall has brought sweetness and pain. While I long for and anticipate our return to home, I can’t help, but be reminded of what was lost. Fall would come, the remodel would be completed, and my belly would be very full. I can’t help but feel the emptiness just a fraction more as we approach the days we would be meeting her. Yet, I can feel the Lord at work in me as He builds me up and equips me for His good work. He constantly reminds my soul that He is doing a new thing. My plans are pretty much out the window, yet my God is faithful and steady at the wheel of my life.
So while I navigate the uncomfortable throughs of uncertainty and change, I will work toward the surrender of truly wanting His Will over mine. Because truth be told, I make a really lousy god and spend an unspeakable amount of time just trying to decide what I might want from the Save Mart bakery. It really is a comforting thought to know deep within my soul that my God is good and He’s got this.
“For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
***Spend some time in prayer and reading Isaiah 43.
As you reflect on this, ask yourself: How can I trust God in the midst of the unknown, knowing that He’s building something good in me? Let’s encourage one another as we continue to rely on His steady hands.
