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| A totally unrelated picture... but one of my recent faves. I only wish he'd stay this still without the "pone" in hand. |
Here's today's tally:
1 out-of-town, outside-of-cell-signal husband
1 visit from the plumber
1 repainted wall (after Liam drew on it while I was writing a check for the plumber)
1 dozen eggs dropped at Trader Joe's
1 piggy bank dropped and shattered on the kitchen floor
1 minor but very traumatizing car accident (a hit and run, no less)
and finally...
1 new house purchased
Seriously, I'm not sure today could've been much fuller or much worse, all with a husband out of reach. Our half-packed house is a complete wreck, and Liam and I could both use a bath.
At some point in my life, I probably would've told myself, "God doesn't give us more than we can handle." But actually, I don't find that to be true at all. I don't even find it in Scripture (it's a misquoting of 1 Corinthians 10:13 - a great article on that here). Today was much, much more than I could handle; it felt like a lot like drowning.
The truth is, in those moments of suffering that are far too much to handle, He is with us. When someone told me, "I think you need to just take a deep breath, take a shower, and thank the Lord that He spared you," it all hit me and the tears came (again). He spared us today. He protected us today from anything worse happening, and we were mere inches from so much worse. He is so good, He never left us, and I'm pretty sure tomorrow can only be better.
My Covenant Group leader has a fantastic metaphor for days like that. She explains that our life is like a train, and days like that and new seasons in life are when God adds another car to our train. Even though it's hard to adjust to pulling the weight, eventually we do. And then, God adds another car that we may not think we are ready for, but will be. Any time I feel like I'm in over my head I just cry out to God and ask Him to increase my faith and take over.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, it's that God doesn't give us more than we can handle when we rely on His grace and strength.
Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. "Selah"
Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. Psalm 54:4
Congrats on the new home. A tip for you with the wall drawing. There are "Magic Erasers" by Mr. Clean. Wet them, wipe pencil, marker, crayon off the wall and it's gone!! Magic!!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, I so remember those days. When my oldest was 6 months old, my husband had to go the TX (we lived in OK) to work for 3 months. The day he was to leave it snowed so much, he could not get his car out of the driveway, so he had to wait until the next day. The first week he was gone 1. baby sick- first time driving in snow- to the Dr and Pharmacy. 2. When show melted, it flooded the septic system leach lines, so our house plumbing backed up- land lord had to bring a pump and clear out our plumbing. 3. On Sunday- so looking forward to going to church- just to get out of the house with little one- truck battery DEAD! And all my friends were at church, so I had to wait until after church to get help.
ReplyDeleteIt was a long week! But it all worked out well, and I can still laugh about it. These type of things happen to us all.
Wow! What a day. Seriously. I am totally feeling for you. And I completely agree about God giving us more than we can handle. Looking forward to reading the article you linked to.
ReplyDeleteSo random- but almost 3 yrs after you wrote this, I am reading and being encouraged. Caleb and I are looking to move. We've owned our house for less than 2 yrs and I would not have thought that this season with our first house would be so short. At the end of March we were driving some country roads in Indiana, praying that God would guide our search for a new house and shortly after, we were hit by a pick-up truck and ended up in a 4 car collision. Not my idea of what was supposed to happen one bit! We were able to walk away from that, but the timing of it all is still disturbing. I guess I'm just feeling in the midst of more than I can handle and it has me asking God for mercy and answers for the whys. I guess what I mean to say is it's comforting to know that the in-over-your-head-days have an end and you made it through!
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