On Monday some absolutely adorable angels were playing at my home. About an hour before needing to leave for the daily rounds of pick-up I noticed a drop of water coming from a ceiling light fixture. I had no idea what could have caused the water but without hesitation ran up stairs because it only seemed it must be coming from above. Alas, I quickly found the port of entry.
My bathroom sink was overflowing with water. That's what happens when water is on and the sink stopper is in place. This post is not about all the little details of what went wrong. This post is about all the ways God intervened and brought good.
I felt calm as I came upon the mess. I suppose this part was due to the fact that I'm naive but that's part of the brilliance. Watch as God's grace unfolds.
Immediately my beautiful sister and I started grabbing towels and sopping up the water. Fortunately, I have many towels for the many people who live here. Towel after towel went to work as we started from the top and worked our way down. After the first round of drying upstairs we went downstairs to find four joyous children collecting the water falling in the kitchen. I was compelled to cherish their joy and capture a picture. I was taken by the gleam of happiness on their faces. They were enthralled by the goodness of the indoor sprinkler.
I then started wondering what more I could do to prevent the damage. I didn't specifically kneel in prayer but I did have things come to mind that are not part of my nature. For example, I grabbed our ladder and took the light fixture down. It was filled with water. I even removed further and was able to empty more water. I removed the hardware from the electrical and at just the right moment, stopped digging deeper. I don't know the technical term of where I stopped but when Kjel got home that night I introduced him to the mess and asked him what more I cold have done and he shared that anything more would have been futile unless we were ripping apart the ceiling --which we are thankfully not. I'm not sure what order all the clean up came about but at one point I felt it was important to pull up the carpet. We headed upstairs with a flat head screwdriver and I ripped up the metal threshold piece between the bathroom vinyl and my bedroom carpet. This allowed me to pull back the carpet and clear up even more water.
I didn't call Kjel because I knew there was nothing he could do from work. I did check in with my Dad so that he could talk me through any additional steps I should take. Somehow while we were running around cleaning up my sister was also picking up the mess the kids had made throughout their day of play. This was a huge gift for me to not have to come home and deal with later in the evening.
Things happen, accidents happen. Timing was key in this. I was able to get a great start on clean up before needing to pick up kids from school. Not only that but I was blessed to discover the mess before I left. Blessed that the water did not continue to flow and create a large disaster while I was picking kids up from school which is an hour long adventure.
My biggest fear was that Kjel would be upset. Upset, is probably not the right word because he's very understanding that accidents happen and I knew this wouldn't cause any long term anger or frustration. I just also know that there's a lot on his mind and a lot expected of him. And he's also the one that brings the money home and who really wants to spend money on repairs that could have possibly been prevented?? Anyhow, I really wanted to be at home when he arrived but alas, that wasn't so. I did however, get to chat with him briefly on the phone about what he was going to find when he arrived. As I lowered the phone after our conversation I found myself praying to just let Kjel be okay. Let his heart be soft and help him to deal with the situation calmly. By the time I arrived he had surveyed the scene and had also already started to feel more calm. Frustrated! But calm.
Early the next day I contacted our insurance agent and started the process of possibly filing a claim. I called ServPro, a water/fire damage mitigation company and they stopped by to survey the mess. Throughout that day I was filled with this exuberance of knowing that God has a plan and that everything would be fine. I was surprised that I felt so calm, especially knowing that this was not going to be a cheap repair; two men working and then days with three large fans in our bedroom and a large fan and dehumidifier in our kitchen. The day really testified to me that I can give my worries to God and let it go. This was not me toughing it out, this was God and His strength. No fake smile here.
Day two was a different story. I woke fine but early into the day I started feeling attacked. Not swords and guns attacked but my mind was terribly distracted and unable to find the joy that I had tapped into since the start of the experience. This led to anger with myself and also my mind leading me down wasteful paths. I think it was a combination of a couple things along with being tired. I tried to combat it and perk back up by reading scripture and praying. This wasn't an instant help and by the time evening came I fell into bed and was quickly asleep.
I woke this morning aiming for a better day and also eager to attend prayer group. I had a question and I knew they were a great source for an answer. Why did I fall? and How do I keep that from happening again? I want to have total confidence and trust in the Lord. I don't want to stumble. We talked about how we're made of flesh and flesh stumbles but also that stumbling brings us to our knees and we grow closer to God. There were many things discussed but here's what's sticking with me right now.
*Grace is real and we don't earn it. We don't/didn't earn God's love --Romans 5:6-11. We don't earn salvation, it's already given.
*I didn't fail on day two. I was in the trenches fighting and even though I wasn't chipper and all smiles I fought the battle. I fought the battle people!! I fought!
We still have one fan left on the main level and the large dehumidifier running. The kids have played with the fans and tested many different objects for their ability to take flight. I will caulk and paint and re-stretch carpet and learn how to tack on base boards. Saturday morning I'll sit in a quiet kitchen and by next week this will be past, by next month blurry and by next year a drop in the bucket of life. These things happen for learning. I know I needed some.