Transition has been harder than we thought.
It isn’t the cereal aisle, the choices, or even the excess. It isn’t the driving on the other side of the road or the busyness of life. It isn’t the politics or the church. Not the missing of dearest friends, or feeling disconnected from life we loved. Don’t get me wrong- those are real obstacles but also were transitions we were mostly prepared for. Instead, we underestimated the emotional energy new foundations require. We didn’t comprehend how much work it takes to begin again. In a new city, a new life. After 20 years of marriage. With 7 kids in tow. There’s a lack of glamour and very little evidence of productivity when you are struggling to just figure out what to do next. The areas of life which were once routine are suddenly foreign.
A few weeks ago, God gave me a picture in my early morning mid-awakeness. I’d been asking for clarity. I felt devoid of purpose, yet exhausted by the tasks of each day.
The picture came from Luke 6:48
“They are like those building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”
A new home needs a new beginning. I’m coming to understand, laying a foundation is more than just believing. Our faith hasn’t changed, yet here we find ourselves beginning again and it feels like really hard work, this starting over. As I consider all that is required where no one sees (the excavation, the dirt packing, the wooden frames and steel supports, the concrete), no wonder it feels like so much time passes before even beginning to build.
Whether because of a move, a loss, an unfulfilled promise or expection you may find yourself struggling to begin again, too. Maybe it feels like you will never build new walls, hang new photos, feel secure under a different roof, call a new life “home.” Maybe you, too, need to be reminded. When no one sees just how dirty your hands are from clearing the area. When no one realizes your muscles ache from mustering the energy to just toss away one more stone in the way. When nothing signals to those around you, ”I’m still waiting for the stinkin’ concrete to dry.” You are doing a good work. You are beginning. When the walls finally go up, your house will stand “because it was well built.” Let’s trust Him together when he calls:
“Come with me. Before you build up in the sun, give yourself time to dig down in the earth.”
OUR NEW FOUNDATION
by ABL
Site carefully scouted and selected.
Dirt meticulously excavated,
rocks tossed aside,
Level.
Frame built of wood, supports of steel.
Concrete poured and perfected.
The waiting time.
Curing.
Carefully and painstaking laid, deep where no one sees
Under the walls ornamented with family photos
Ensuring longevity
Foundation.
