Keeping Our Heads Above Water - Chapter 11

January 12, 2016

Don't think for a second that the irony of finding this in a puddle of lake water in our media cabinet was missed by me....

And for some reason,  I keep posing people in front of the dumpster lately.   

We are now headed into Week 3 of "The Flood".  Some days, it's been baby steps forward, only to stumble backwards again.  Some days I'm fine.....some days all I want to do is lay down and cry.

We moved every stitch of furniture out of the house this past Sunday with the help of our son, Troy, his two neighbors, Ralph and Shelby who all drove two hours from Allen to help us, and my neighbor girlfriend Amy.  Our other neighbor Sue was gracious enough to loan us a portion of her garage to store all these "things" of ours in.  We are over the moon grateful for each of these friends.

And speaking of "things", we have way too much of them.  Just ask Troy, Ralph, Shelby and Amy.  They'll tell ya...."Yes, Liz and Chuck have WAY too much crap."  I came down the hall the other day carrying a box of "things" out to the garage when I saw this saying I had painted on the wall years ago.  "The Best Things In Life Aren't Things."  I dropped the box and stared at that wall for a good while.

During this roller coaster ride we have been on for three weeks now, I've worried about our "things" getting wet.....getting ruined....getting damaged.  But what about that saying I wrote on the wall?  Did I believe it or was it just a cute little saying everyone always says to convince others, and themselves, that they aren't married to their "things"?  Hummmm.......

Here's what I've discovered from this experience.  What truly matters isn't my favorite chair or my big screen TV or a cute guest bedroom.....but rather people:  people like a contractor who brings peace when I see him drive into the driveway....a crew of three (yes...one is a GIRL!!) that when giving me very bad news yesterday that is going to hit our pocket book hard, opted to huddle up and pray over us in the middle of the room knowing full well that God already has this resolved for us but needed to remind ME of this.....for friends who would put their dungiest jeans on and play in the sheetrock dust with me as we moved those unimportant "things" out of the house.  And family and friends who may not be able to be here to help, but their words of comfort to us I carry in my heart all day long.  It's PEOPLE...not things.....that truly matter when the sheetrock hits the floor.  I could live without all this "stuff", but I can't live without these people.  Nope....can't do it.

And as we continue the up's and down's of this roller coaster ride we've been handed a ticket on, I choose to cling to Deuteronomy 31:8:

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you.  

He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you."  

Awwwww......there's that peace I was looking for!