When God Steps In

It was supposed to have been a leisurely, mellow Saturday.

Our plan was to enjoy a family breakfast of traditional Saturday Morning Muffins, and then spend the day taking down and tucking away all the Christmas decorations. We looked forward to re-living all the great holiday memories, and reflecting on God’s wonderful providences throughout the past year.

But God had a different plan.

When I walked into the kitchen to mix up the muffins, I stepped into a lake of cold water. My stunned eyes took it all in…water everywhere…covering the whole of the hardwood kitchen floor…spilling down the hallway, on its way to the dining room.

My first thought was…I don’t think we’re having muffins.

Within a couple of hours, it was clear that not only were we not having muffins, but our entire day, week, and the next few months were largely out of our hands, as far as planning our days was concerned.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11) The next three months could have been completely frustrating, wretched and inconvenient. The house was daily filled with workmen; there were large fans with aircraft-engine decibel levels blowing day and night, drying out the subfloors; everything was topsy-turvy, with the dishwasher in the laundry room, the stove and refrigerator in the living room, and fine china littering the office floor. Three times, we gathered all the cats and the dog for another stay at the kennel, while the rest of us moved into a now-familiar hotel. And in the midst of this, we attempted to continue home-educating our 5-member class.

Our living room during part of the flood restoration process.

But God had plans, and they were all good.

Looking back one year later, I am humbled at how very good God’s plans are; how perfect His timing; and how much clearer than mine is His view of the big picture. Along with about 40 gallons of water came the following shower of blessings, from a tender, merciful, loving God:

* We were blessed with a clean-up and restoration crew owned and operated by a delightful Christian man, with a passion for missions and reformed theology! He and my husband had wonderful, encouraging theological discussions amidst the whir and bang of water-drying machinery, drills, and hammers.

Mr. A checks on the floors.

* Along with Mr. A. came Mr. L. and Mr. J.—two more delightful brothers-in-the-Lord. Not only were they both Christian men and diligent, excellent workers, but they were also both homeschool fathers. Can there be more camaraderie than that?!

* Along with repairing the extensive water damage to the basement bedroom, Mr. J. also put in additional wall insulation to warm that chilly room; repaired a ceiling crack that has been there since we moved in; completely removed animal odors from the carpet that had lingered there from the previous home owner; stripped all the dated wallpaper border off the wall, and painted the room a cheery yellow. I’ve always wanted a yellow room. J

Mr. J works on cutting away damaged floor pieces.

* Mr. L., painter extraordinaire, gave the entire finished basement a fresh coat of paint, including two zippy blue walls; painted the whole stairwell from the basement up to the first floor, and agreed to also give the dining room a two-tone paint job, once we stripped off the very-formal wallpaper that has never reflected our style. So our dining room received a long-overdue facelift as well.

Mr. L paints the dining room while Mr. A cleans.

* While he worked, Mr. L chatted with our children and got to know more about our family. One day he gave us two wonderful music CD’s, of original music written and recorded by friends of his. These were such a treasure—lovely mellow guitars and blended harmonies, with lyrics entirely based on Scripture. These were listened to daily for quite some time!

Josiah having one of his many conversations with Mr. L while he worked.

* It turned out that Mr. L. had friends who knew some of our friends. On several occasions, they had all shared sweet fellowship together at their church. I shared the CD’s with our friends, and Mr. L. generously supplies me with more, at no cost. I also sent some to a dear blogging friend, who I believed would appreciate them.

* A nearby hotel became our home-away-from-home on several occasions. Our times there became precious to me! I loved having all of us gathered in the cozy living room, busily working on homeschool assignments and listening to Mr. L.’s CD’s. Here was where my youngest boy learned to read, and learned to play—and win—at chess! Physical Fitness class at the swimming pool and 4:00-cookies in the lobby were daily highlights. We met so many interesting people and heard many stories of their home fires, floods, and other adventures. One woman turned out to be acquainted with our daughters’ Worship Dance instructor. We were blessed, and we strived to be a blessing in return.

And while we were gone, Mr. A. and Mr. L. worked hard to replace/restore not only the hardwood floors in the kitchen, but all across our entire first floor. When we returned for the last time, I found another gift from Mr. L.—a special Easter book for our children.

Enjoying dinner in our hotel room.

Our God supplied everything we needed, and even more…just because it pleased Him to do so. What began as a major interruption to “our plans” morphed into one of the best learning and growing experiences we’ve ever had. Along the way, we made friends and connections that linger on to this day. And we were reminded, once again, that our Lord is sovereign, and He can be trusted.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Posted by Betsy