Life Gets Messy
Life Gets Messy
by: Mary Heller
Our basement is finished; carpeted and drywalled. It is my dream come true to have master bedroom space – except for “that” corner and the pile of papers that need to be shredded—or burned.
Two weeks ago “that” corner was finished! It turned into a sewing area truly befitting the amateur stitch lover that I am.
One week ago following an impressive storm that drove our three children to the basement for the night, we woke in the morning to half of the basement flooded and no electricity. The children had slept on the side that remained dry. My husband stayed home from work, armed himself with the shop-vac and fans and proceeded to fight a valiant battle to dry the floor.
In the coming days, the mold smell came on quickly. By the end of the week my husband agreed to pull up the carpet. He hoped the damage would be limited to the mat underneath the carpet. Unfortunately, he quickly looked at me and said, “Thank you for asking for this. This was the right move.” The carpet was not able to be saved.
Within hours my house had gone from a sigh of ‘Ahhhh’ to a frustrated yell of ‘Ahhhh’! Everything had been in place. The bedroom, the sewing area, the living room and dining room, the bedrooms, and the homeschool room. I was feeling calm, safe, secure, and on top of things. Suddenly the sitting room held much of the other half of the basement. The homeschool room had to receive an air mattress for my husband and me. Homeschool furniture was pushed into the dining and living rooms! I found myself tempted to feel overwhelmed. This is not how I had pictured ending August! Then came a decision point as my sweet 6 year old neighbor said, “Wow. You guys need to clean this place up!” Breathe. Just breathe.
God used that moment to remind me of just how often I think I have life figured and formulated only to wake up to a mess, where life happens and the best-laid plans get thwarted. We can wake to a “mess” of any variety at any time. These are times that I’m driven to deeper and greater dependance on God. Until life is ‘back in place’ we must choose peace of mind in the chaos. We find this peace when we know that God will put things back in place. We must believe that in the end we may loose things that we thought mattered. We may also gain what we never imagined. My husband will finish tiling the basement this weekend and I’ve realized that, as often happens, this will turn what we thought was ‘good’ into ‘better than we had imagined’. Things will be more beautiful and simplified than before. For instance, that pile of paper –trash piled up in my life– will be gone. To get to the end of the mess with all the peace of mind that we hope for we must “…know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ” (Rom. 8:28, NASB)
Whatever mess you face today, may you walk in peace until all the pieces are put in their place.
Mary Heller: Co-director, Christian Military Wives 2nd VP, Protestant Women of the Chapel Aberdeen Proving Grounds Workshop Presenter, Teacher
