Amazing how something so incredibly inconvenient can teach a lesson in rejoicing in the Lord!
About a week ago the toilet in our rental home wouldn't flush. My husband tried fixing it but nothing was happening. Our landlord called a local plumber and they went to work.
What we thought was a simple plumbing issue turned into a nightmare...
Another plumber that came after they remodeled the home, did a cheap and botched up job that nobody would have noticed because no one was living in the home at the time, until we came along. The result of this plumbers job showed 3 weeks into our lease, the drainage wasn't going into the sewage (sometimes I did and sometimes it didn't) but it was spilling into the back of our basement! It wasn't horrible, but it could have been!
The plumber and his assistant told us "You may not be able to have toilets if we can't fix this. It's really bad.", I almost lost it. Because this was an issue that wasn't resolved for a week, we were supposed to go to our Church's Christmas party we were looking forward too since we began to go about 2 weeks ago, but the plumbers weren't going to be finished on time, plus my parents were on their way and would be arriving in the morning. If we couldn't have the toilets fixed, we may have to go to a hotel and have our landlord setup an emergency portal potty and shower outside of our home, and it's extremely cold out!
I heard this from my husband, and just went into my bedroom and cried. I was stressed how bad it was, and we had to tell our church family that we wouldn't make it (we were supposed to bring a dish) and really, I wanted to accept my parents in our beautiful home with no problems!
So I gave myself a pity party. And how I pitied myself, i'm surprised I didn't play the song, "Nobody knows the troubles I feel! Nobody knows my sorrows..."!
So I texted my mom and told her all that was happening (they were on their way from California to Tennessee), and then I got a call from her phone, but it was my dad's voice I heard instead of my mom. Hearing my daddies voice made me lose it. He said, "So mija, what is going on?" I began to cry and whimper, "Daddy, i'm so stressed!"
He compassionately said these words of wisdom that stopped my tears and said,
"Mija, I know you are stressed, and you have a right to be stressed and sad and angry and frustrated, but just because you have a "right" to react in a way that is called for, doesn't mean you should do it... You are a daughter of the King, and your reaction to things that are happening that may be inconvenient or hurtful must rise higher than the situation!
Remember, Rejoice always and again I say rejoice, let your gentleness be known to all men (to your husband and these plumbers) that the Lord is at hand, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Then he lead us four in prayer and I felt a peace and sweet conviction that, my attitude needs to reflect my Spirit and character not my emotions or feelings.
I came out of my self pity and said, "Thank you Lord! That this situation will not steal my Joy! But father, thank you for these 2 men who are working so hard to fix the situation, and bless our landlord with the finances to fix the job that was cruelly botched in the first place. Father, that my rejoicing in you will be evident to these two men and that I be gentle to all who enter my home that in every situation, You are in control!", I walked out of my bedroom with a sincere smile on my face and a peace just enveloped me.
The assistant (who is a sweet young man in his early 20's) came into the house with a frustrated and soured face, apparently irritated at the fact that nothing was working, so I smiled at him coming in the house and said, "Young man, I want you to know how grateful at your hard work and working in such filth and yet doing your work with excellency... where would we be without you two men working so hard?", he literally stopped in his tracks and gave me an astonished look and stammered, "T-thank you, ma'am." and I said (because I remembered he loves peppermint candy canes I had hanging on our Christmas Tree and he sweetly asked the last time he came if he may have one!), "I remember how much you love candy canes, before you leave I want you to have as many candy canes as you can pick from our Tree, ok?",
His eyes darted to the tree and back to me, and the most charming boyish grin unraveled on his lips and his eyes twinkled and he said with excitement, "Oh! Thank you, Ma'am!!!", after that I noticed his step was more chipper and there was a smile across his lips each time he came in the home, and he had an energy that kept him going strong!
His boss came in with that same kind of frustration and said, "sigh, this is all a mess.", I then said, "Sir, Thank you for all you are doing, I sincerely admire you.", He looked at me completely astonished and said, "Why, thank you, ma'am!".
Each time these gentlemen came into the house, there was a new energy and smile on their faces, then the boss came into the home and exclaimed, "We Fixed It!"!!!!!
Praise the Lord!!!!! They said they tried something they didn't think of and it worked and we have both bathrooms working beautifully!!!
After they fixed it, the young man eyed the tree as if it was Christmas morning!!! He shyly went to the tree and said, "May I have 2?" I said, "Honey! You can have them ALL! Don't be polite, and grab all you want.", he sweetly said, "I'll just take 4 then, Ma'am... Thank you!".
Daily I am striving to renew my carnal mind into the Mind of Christ, and when you think thoughts that are pure, good, holy, virtuous, etc... Your perspective changes.
I had a "First World Problem" moment, there are people in third world countries that don't have adequate toilets and still dig drenches to use in the ground. These 2 men had to work in the filth that was exposed because of another lousy plumber's job, in the cold and at night, our landlord have to pay from out of his own pocket all that had to be done and the cleanup that has to happen as well... and Dustin and I got to sit here in the warmth and God forbid, wait to use a toilet! What a shame that came in my mind!
I then realized, if I would have allowed self pity and stress take over, that would have penetrated the atmosphere of my home and my husband would have fed off of it and so would these plumbers and perhaps they wouldn't have a renewed energy to try that one thing they didn't think of to fix this problem!
I realized as an Ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven, I am to be an example of Christ at ALL times, there is no time off! I am to be ready in season (good times) and out of season (bad/inconvenient times)... That when I rejoice in the Lord at all times, that Joy will be evidence of Christ in this Home and that my gentle spirit will reveal that the Lord is at hand!
That they will leave and say, "That Home, such a peace that reigned there! The gentleness of the Lady of the Home was evident, and there was such a Joy penetrating the atmosphere... Yes, Christ reigns there!".
For what kind of Christian would I be if I only had a godly attitude in the good times, but when things didn't go as planned I threw a fit? No! I had to rise above the situation!
HaHa! I also realized, how absolutely ridiculous and a horrible example of God's evidence in my life that I stress out and allow that to rule my attitude, and when they are in the yard to see a sign I made that says, "Here Dwells (with an arrow pointing toward our home) Gentleness, Self Control, Faithfulness, Love, Compassion, Faith." and when they come in another small sign on the wall next to the front door reads, "Above All, In this place reigns Jesus", and then ANOTHER sign that reads, "Bless this Home and all who enter."... .Hmmmmm... Imagine readings these "Christian" signs and coming to see the Lady of the Home in tears and stressed and boohooing because things aren't going as planned and having a sour attitude to beat it all!
Oh Lord, Thank you for the wisdom of my daddy to graciously remind me who I am in Christ and to have a Queenly attitude and Christ like attitude at all times and that I planted a seed in the hearts of these men that in this Home truly reigns the King of Kings!!!!!
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