Monday, October 20, 2008

Renovation. . . A Step of Faith

Life is crazy but God is good!! Lately, we have been knee-deep in our own version of "Designed to Sell". We have painted the entire outside of our house. Removed carpeting, tile, and a banister from our porch. Sanded, grinded, and painted the concrete on both the porch and the flowerbeds. And, if that wasn't enough, now we're on to the big job. . . the bathroom! We have needed to re-do the bathroom for a long time now, and after yesterday, we realized why we hadn't been jumping at the chance to get started. What a nightmare! At the moment, our bathroom is down to the studs in half the room with debris everywhere. Today, we will be making our bazillionth trip to Lowe's to get more supplies. Water will be turned off again today (why is it that you always have to go the bathroom more when you have no way to do so?!), and poor, little Oliver will have to learn to nap through the mighty hum of the shop vac.

Crazy times, but all for a purpose. Our house must sell. We are moving on. Kansas is calling our name. Jarrod has accepted a preaching position with a wonderful church there, and we are excited for the future. Of course, leaving here is hard. Amazing church. Awesome friends. A great community. It's bitter-sweet, but our faith is in God and in His plan for all of us. We are "stepping out of the boat" and walking toward the new opportunity He's handing us, all while, trusting that He will take care of the precious people here.

Sometimes, it seems that "stepping out in faith" is a lot like our remodeling. Messy. Confusing. Stressful. Hard work. Scary. But all the effort is worth it when the outcome is revealed. Peace. Joy. Excitement. Beauty. It may be down-right frightening to let the Master Builder hammer away a new life/opportunity/outlook for you. But, I believe (and am about to find out for myself) that He has a remarkable masterpiece waiting at the end of the renovation.