One (Of Many) Spiritual Lessons I Learned From Renovating My Home
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 1:47PM MAD21 by Kevin (Shooting the Breeze)
This summer, my wife and I (with the help of many others) renovated our downstairs (you can see some of our pictures here ). It was a HUGE job – a job that I don’t plan on doing again for a LONG time! As with any renovation, there were different problems along the way that we had to deal with. The one that I want to share in this post is the last problem that we had to overcome - wiring our hood van above the stove.
We worked hard all summer but we weren’t quite done so my step-dad and mom graciously volunteered to help us finish everything up (this was a week ago). They helped finish the painting, installing all the trim, laying tile and finishing our bathroom (I am very blessed to have such awesome parents!) The last thing that was left was wiring the hood van. This seemed simple enough as we already had the wires ready from before and all we needed to do was hook them together with wires on the hood van. Well, it wasn’t so easy. After much frustration and disappointment we finally gave up and decided that I needed to call an electrician to come and fix it. My first thought was: Ugh! We were so close to being done and I did not want to pay an electrician $65 an hour to finish the job! The day after my parents left, my step dad called me and said that he had talked with my brother (umm … who happens to be an electrician and a very good one for that matter) and he immediately figured out our issue. It was a two minute fix!
Now, here’s the spiritual lesson I learned from this. When my step-dad was talking to my brother, my brother said some very profound words. He said: “Why didn’t you just call me?” Ouch! It was that simple. If I had just picked up the phone and called my brother and asked for his help I could have avoided a LOT of frustration and stress! This is the same with God. So often we try to figure things out on our own and we end up frustrated. So often we try to “fix” things on our own and we end up stressed out. All along, God is there waiting and “saying” “Why don’t you just ask me? I am here to help you.” God wants us to bring EVERYTHING to Him – nothing is too small and nothing is too big. We can avoid a lot of frustration and stress if we bring our problems and our issues to God!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Kevin Martineau is a fellow blogger who is married (16 years!) and has three beautiful daughters (10, 7 and 4). He serves God through his role as Pastor at Port Hardy Baptist Church, North Vancouver Island. He enjoys blogging, reading, photography and watching hockey.
Faith, Family Life, Lessons, Renovations in Family Life
Reader Comments (3)
Excellent analogy and a great reminder! Life is not intended to be do-it-yourself...
Thanks, Kevin! Once again, one of your posts is a much needed cool, refreshing drink on a hot day!
Prayer in the hands of love is the most powerful force on earth.
And how often do I overlook it? All I have to do is pick up the phone. It's like trying to run the saw without plugging it in.
Speaking of "saw"... I saw you over at Faith Barista. Glad I found you - Have a great day.