What Our House Is Not

Our house is coming together like a puzzle assembled by an old man on a rainy day: speedy and meticulous. I’m no expert on house building (nor have I ever been anything remotely close to “handy”), but it doesn’t take a professional to see that fantastic work is being done. The framing is finished, roofing is complete, doors and windows are in place, and the electrical work is in progress. Siding will go up soon, after which our new home will start to take shape on the inside. I’m not entirely certain what will happen when, but as I said, I’m no expert, so we’re just enjoying watching things move along. As we steadily approach the estimated completion date (they’re saying early August), some thoughts come to mind, namely, what is this house and what is it not?

We know this house is a gift from God, we can’t say it isn’t (Psalms 24:1, James 1:17). But in acknowledging it as a gift we recognize that this house is not a reward. But after all we’ve been through, don’t we deserve a little bit of luxury? Haven’t we earned this? I think we both have asked ourselves those questions, but the answer to both is unequivocally no. Here’s what I mean: we don’t deserve anything, but God has given us everything we need. What we need isn’t always what we want, just as what we want isn’t always what we need, but God knows best and we would do well to trust Him and find rest in that fact.

Secondly, the situation God has placed us in doesn’t make us any better or worse or more special than any of His children. We don’t fully understand why He wants us where we are, but we know He is good (Psalms 107:1, Psalms 145:9), that He is wise (1 Corinthians 1:25, Proverbs 3:19), knows what’s best (Job 1:21, Isaiah 55:9) and what He does is for our good (Rom 8:28).

Another thing this house is not, is the end of the battle. I mean that in two ways: first because a disability like mine, though technically possible to improve with enough time and hard work, is a lifelong thing. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, because a permanent and comfortable dwelling place opens up a whole new set of temptations for us as a family. Now that we have the option to live in comfort and ease, the desire to sit back and cruise through life is becoming less vague and more of a reality. Not that comfort is wrong — it absolutely isn’t — but it can pose a danger to the passion and adventure that is following Christ with our whole lives. When we first got married, our desire and plan (check out God’s response to human plans), was to serve the Lord overseas as full time missionaries. When God closed that door to us through our accident, our passion didn’t (and hasn’t) changed, but obviously the manifestation of it looks vastly different than what we expected. We’re so looking forward to having this house, and the physical comfort it will bring to us, we just know comfort can’t be the goal of our lives.

This video by Francis Chan really challenged our hearts about this whole idea of living for comfort as Christian parents, and what effects it could have on Nyra and any other kids the Lord might give us down the road. It would be worth your while to watch (it’s short, don’t worry).

We pray that as God in His wisdom and love chooses to give us things we like and things we don’t, we would be faithful to use and enjoy each of those gifts with wisdom and humility. May you do the same, not from a sense of duty, obligation or fear, but because the great pleasure and bliss in knowing Him far surpasses anything else!
 -Lane