A Lot Can Happen in a Day...

So this weekend my wife and I decided to build a rock bed in our back yard. It was a great way to start the day and a lot of fun. However, what we didn't know was that underneath our house, our main sewage drain was backing up with dirt and water as a result of root damage and line breaks. It's amazing how much can change in a day. That night we were up till 2 in the morning waiting for city workers to finish digging a ten foot hole in our front yard to the main sewage line to see if there was blockage on the city side. There wasn't. The following day, a dump truck, earth mover, jack hammer, four city workers, and a plumber were camped outside our house deducing our plumbing problems.

In the end, we got the news that our problems would range in the three thousand dollar range. A lot can happen in a day...

Although we are now weighing all of our options, getting second and third and fourth opinions, considering what part of the work we can do ourselves, the whole experience has turned out to be a subtle but great blessing from God. The news couldn't have come at a worse time. In a month I will be an unemployed student, school is expensive, Lauren's hours will be cut back, and, after our plumbing mishap, our emergency fund will be close to depleted. Oh...and our washing machine broke.

It's amazing how quickly God can strip the comforts and delusions of safety from us and make us cling to Him. After the initial shock of everything, my wife and I slowly began to realize that our panic and fear was contrary to what we believe about God and His love for us. That evening, feeling the weight of uncertainty crushing my chest, Proverbs 3:5 began to whisper in my ear.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."

I had memorized that verse in AWANA when I was five. But that evening it became more than just a sentence, it became the Spirit pleading with me to trust Him. It reminded me that my wife and I now have a wonderful opportunity to trust God without the distractions of financial comfort, to cling to each other without the predication of stability, and to put our hope completely in the will of God and His good grace towards those whom He has chosen.

So as strange as it sounds, I thank God for old pipes, a bad economy, and an unknown plan. Because of all those things, my wife and I can stop trusting in our budget and emergency fund to save us, and start trusting that our shepherd knows where He's leading us.