Thankful Thursday ~ Rebuilding

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven...

a time to tear down and a time to rebuild

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 & 3

I sit next to an open window listening to the birds chirping in the tall, thin cedar blowing gently in the breeze. They sing a song of new birth & new beginnings.

Just a few short weeks ago my very inquisitive children let curiosity get the best of them. They found a bird's nest & couldn't wait to see what it was made of. Standing on tiptoes on the very top step they lifted the nest out of the tree with a broom handle. Carefully they tried to reach the nest but with one slip of the hand the nest fell and down came my children along with the nest and 3 baby blue eggs.

Tears flowed as they saw the eggs broken on the ground. "Mommy can't we put them back in the nest and place it back in the tree?" my little girl sobbed. I gently wiped away her tears and explained to her that there was nothing we could do for the eggs. My son followed with "Can we at least put the nest back in the tree?" I told them I would try but that I couldn't promise the birds would return to the nest.

Curiosity had gotten the best of my children. What seemed so innocent ended up breaking the eggs into pieces.

Do we as adults let this happen to us?

• Do we let "one little glance" progress to more?
• Do we let miscommunication and disagreements come between a friendship?
• Do we take a short cut at work thinking it won't make a difference until the end of the month comes and the figures are way off?

The birds didn't go back to the nest. But, I am happy to say they did return and build a nest higher in the tree. This nest is stronger, safer and out of the reach of prying eyes. In fact, if I hadn't pointed it out to the kids they wouldn't have known it was there.

There are now several baby blue eggs waiting to hatch into new life!

Like the broken eggs, there are times our lives may break into pieces around us. When that happens we can rely on the strength of God. We can trust that somewhere amid all the broken pieces He is going to rebuild our marriage, our friendship or our career into something stronger.  

The strength of the new will be able to withstand the storms of the future.

Unless the LORD builds the house,

its builders labor in vain.

Psalm 127 :1

Are you trusting God to take the pieces of your hurt and pain and turn them into something stronger?

Continuing the Joy Dare #558 - #581

• learning how to let go
• trusting God's ways are better than mine
• the hope of brighter days
• rescuing a bad morning
• pink baby blanket
• hand-me-down clothes
• single rose on the lapel of my 5 year old son
• red door that opens the eyes of imagination
• red lanterns that hang on the eave of "Evergreen Lodge"
• dinner & laughter around a table filled with friends
• butterscotch pudding while relaxing with my husband
• veggies fresh from the farm
• sour milk spilled on a shirt
• ridiculous commercial
• listening to God while scrubbing grout
• peanut butter pie
• making Easter snacks for a school party
• birds singing...music playing...stillness to remember God's blessings
• Philippians 4:8 - thinking on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely & admirable
• Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
• Psalm 16:1 - Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
• gift of friendship
• encouragement from a bloggy friend
• words spoken from one who was hurt before

Taking the Joy Dare of counting 1000 gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience 

In His Calm,


Mary

Marriage Mondays - Renovations

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.

We are the clay, you are the potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

As I write this post I hear the sounds of chisels banging, saws cutting & tile breaking. I hear men grunting & panting & see them wipe sweat from the brows. 

These men are doing demolition work in our bathroom. We had a leak in our shower that over time caused the baseboard to rot. This rotten baseboard got our attention & has caused us to undertake a full bathroom renovation.

As the men pulled the shower pan out of the house we saw the culprit of our damage. A large crack in the pan that was only visible from the underside of the pan. Oh, I knew there was a small crack but I had no idea it went ALL the way through or that it was as LARGE as it was!

As the demolition has progressed we have found other signs of water damage we didn't know existed. Luckily we've caught them early but, we wouldn't know about it if the rotten baseboard had not gotten our attention.

This hidden damage can be found in our marriages. How often do little "leaks" happen that we don't acknowledge?

• Inconsiderate words used during a disagreement.
• Not following through on a request from our husband.
• Side glance at someone attractive that is not our spouse.

These "leaks" don't have to be large. They can be small, fleeting moment episodes but, over time can added up and cause major underlying damage. 

We may not realize anything is wrong until one day we noticed a "rotten" baseboard. 

• We just aren't connecting the way we used to.
• Things that may have once been small disagreements turn into large, blown out of proportion fights.
• Where we once may not have given someone else a second look we begin to think more about them.

If you find these "rotten" baseboards in your marriage they may be signs that something else is going on deeper in your marriage. Like what's taking place in the repair/renovation of my bathroom, it may be time to take a look at the "underside" of your marriage. Are there "leaks" in your marriage that you haven't noticed?

Let God be the "contractor" of your marriage renovation. Ask Him to show you the leaky cracks that are causing unseen damage to your relationship with your husband. 

I would love to pray for you. Leave me a comment letting me know how I can pray for you as you undergo a renovation of your marriage.

I am linked today with Courtney at Women Living Well.

 





In His Calm,

Mary