Rejoice, Really!

One week ago today, Jason and I became homeowners! It's been quite the adventure so far, and we have already experienced the sweet and bitter taste of home ownership. Within less than twenty-four hours after closing we found a leak in the plumbing, and the washer valve hook-ups needed replaced, and there was a nest in the dryer vent. Oh, how nice it was to simply call maintenance and report these kinds of issues, and have it fixed for free and without hassle. Then, as the days went on, we've found four more leaks, and we found out that our well tank was shot and needed replaced, and we need to neutralize our water since it is ever so slightly acidic and may be contributing to the leaky pipes. Oh, joy! (But seriously, JOY--see James 1:2 and Philippians 4:4-7). And yet, that's not all, there has been even more reason to cry-I mean-rejoice. On Saturday, Teá experienced the worse case of constipation I have ever witnessed. She was crying out in pain a good majority of the day. I'll spare you the details, but since I was wrapped up in that I had to miss Jason's graduation. The poor guy was all alone at his graduation. After six years of grueling work, getting his PhD wasn't quite as celebratory as we imagined. Lastly, Amaryn has three or four teeth poking through which means we have a fussy baby on our hands, but seriously who can blame her? That's a lot of teeth coming in at the same time! Poor baby!

Anyway, I don't write all of this to whine and complain. It hasn't been easy and unfortunately it's gotten the best of us at times during the past seven days, but there are always lessons to be learned. As I was taking some time to journal, pray, and read the bible this afternoon, I was considering all that had happened this past week. As I started writing in my journal, without really thinking about it, I wrote, "Thank you Lord for this house. Thank you for the plumbing issues and all the leaks." I wrote it but immediately was taken back, because I have felt a lot of things this past week, but thankful wasn't on the top of the list by any means. Yet what I wrote is what I want to be. I can be thankful for them because in them I know God has a purpose, and His purpose is perfect. So yes, thank you God for the leaky pipes and all the unexpected work that needs done. It also provides an excellent opportunity to trust God through it all, especially financially. I know God cares about our finances and I know He will provide for our needs, but I also know His goal is not our financial prosperity but our eternal prosperity. 

In the mean time, I pray I will remain faithful, trusting, and rejoicing. 


**I wrote this post 3 or so weeks ago now, and forgot to publish. Funny enough, about 5 minutes after writing it, Teá woke up from her nap, opened the refrigerator, and the unopened gallon of milk came crashing down, broke open, and spilled milk everywhere. Much of it went under the fridge, and since I couldn't move it by myself, I mopped up what I could and waited for Jason to come home that evening. When he got home he asked why there was a huge puddle of milk on the basement floor. Upon further investigation we found a gap along the baseboard behind the refrigerator that leaks out and down into the basement. The whole time, the word "Rejoice!" came to my mind, thanks to my writing this post earlier in the day. If for nothing else, I'm thankful for this place to jot down my thoughts and thankful that God continues to use them to challenge me.**