When God Opens the Floodgates

Our basement flooded last week, which was both surprising and confusing. It really shouldn’t have happened. Our home is in its preschool stage, coming in at less than 5 years old. We thought important things like sump pumps were supposed to last longer. It’s even hidden in the dark corner of our basement, far away from the little hands that have put holes in my walls and ripped apart my nice window blinds. #boymomlife

But alas, while we were gone on vacation it apparently rained 5 million inches. Our plumber laughed when we told him where we lived and informed us that the company who built our home with “integrity” and “efficiency” was also crazy cheap. So, there’s that.

For three hours my husband and I took turns sweeping water into the emergency drain on our basement floor. If you’ve ever wanted to know what a seemingly pointless job looks like, I’d suggest grabbing a broom and going at it. More and more water kept pouring in, and there was no sign of it stopping. We continued to redirect it towards a small hole in the ground instead of the (now smaller) remnant of our undamaged baby gear. The flood was definitely winning. As I stood there counting our losses, my writer brain started turning… Water is powerful thing.

Storms. Tidal waves. Hurricanes. The way of the ocean and rivers. So much capacity to wreck and weaken. God Himself hit the restart button on earth with fierce rain and surging seas. (Side note: I NEED to write a post on what I’m learning about the great flood because it’s mind blowing. But we’ll save that for another day.)

The thing is, besides praying to our Creator, nature is out of our control. We can’t physically stop it from raining. We can’t redirect the weather. We can predict and prepare and possibly prevent. But even then, sump pumps fail. Basements are filled. Possessions get ruined. 

But you know what… Our God isn’t afraid of life’s floods. 

He doesn’t shy away from the storm or avoid the sudden surge. When Jesus walked on earth He also walked on water. He calmed the raging waves and stilled the mighty winds. Instead of fearing the downpour, He decided to pour out more of Him. Jesus promised an abundance of LIVING WATER for all of God’s children… Water that would revive and empower and, ironically, set their souls on fire. In a glorious turn of events, God chose to unlock Hisfloodgates and let heaven’s riches shower upon His kids. They wouldn’t understand just yet, but soon the power of the resurrection would reside in their own hearts. Soon they would experience “immeasurably more than all they could ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within them.” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV) And this same truth extends to us today.

Dear friends, when God opens His floodgates, nothing is held back. He opens His arms and welcomes us in. He puts His full character on public display. Nothing can redirect His mission and nothing can stop His passion. He shows us more grace than we deserve, more peace than we can hold and more love than we can comprehend. This is the power of the gospel. This is the beauty of the BEST news that’s ever been. It washes away our stains and removes our deepest sins. There is nothing God’s kindness cannot touch. There is nothing God’s forgiveness cannot make pure. And we get to be the recipients! We receive the glory of heaven when we open our hearts to Him.

That wet afternoon God shifted my eyes from our basement floor towards heaven’s throne so I could truly see Him. As I stood watching the water press in, all I saw was grace. We were back from vacation and not out of town. We caught the flooding before everything was lost. My husband heard the words ‘sump pump’ while praying the night before. I had moved a good chunk of boxes from the flooded corner two months prior. My husband’s work gave out a bonus that covered the cost of our new sump pump. A sweet neighbor let us borrow their dehumidifier and blessed us with pizza for dinner as well.

Our God was there. He showed up in the storm and was pouring out His love. And it was all grace.

Grace like rain.

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For The Days You Feel Left Behind…

Yesterday I was doing puzzles with my youngest two boys. As in true toddler fashion, we got to the very end and realized one puzzle piece was missing. Emotions started to rise, cries started emerge and then there were tears. I tried to console my littlest as I grazed about the table. I was completely confused.

If we were doing an old, worn-down puzzle, I would have left it at that. But we weren’t. This was a brand, spanking new one, never out of the box. The kids hadn’t gotten their mess-making hands on it yet, so logically this was going to be the one puzzle in our house that could have a satisfying resolution. But here we were again. Staring at another unfinished task. Focusing on the hole. Wishing Chase’s face would magically appear in its Paw Patrol place.

It felt a whole lot like my life. Like all of the pieces were floating around me, never able to find their final landing spot. Everything I’d been trying to do lately was adding up to incomplete. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many cups of coffee I drank, I could never keep up. Not with the house. Not with my writing. Not with my relationships and work. I felt like I was missing it. Missing the mark. Missing the opportunities. Missing the people. And I found myself wanting to sit on the floor and cry with my toddler.

There’s really so much going on in our culture. At least, that’s what they try to make us believe. There’s always something more we can do. There’s always something else to pursue. Things rarely feel truly complete. Most days I feel desperately behind, like I’m stumbling forward trying to find the right path to take. Trying to find the best next step. And sometimes when I finally decide, it seems like it’s too little too late. Instead of experiencing new ventures or finalizing plans, I’m met with closed doors and ‘try agains.’

And I’m starting to feel exhausted.

Because who has time to keep up with all the things? Who has time to do everything wonderfully well and find all the missing puzzle pieces? I don’t. They don’t. And if we are honest with ourselves, I’m pretty sure all of us feel like we are behind in some areas that require serious crushing. Slay all day, right?

But what it we are looking at the puzzle wrong? What if the pieces aren’t together for a purpose? What if the process is more important than the product. I’m not sure when I started believing incomplete projects meant I was incomplete too, but I did. I’ve assigned my own worth according to how much I can get done, how much I can please people, how much I can do for my family and even God. And it’s incredibly inaccurate.

My Creator knows me. He sees my days and understands my struggles. He doesn’t want me to feel like I have to prove myself to Him or anyone else just because I check off a box on a checklist. Sure, it feels fantastic to finish things and finish them well, but it becomes dangerous when we start to define ourselves by our successes instead of our Savior. We are worthy of His lavish love regardless of our performance. We remain His precious children even when we feel like failures. We are held together even when we feel like we are falling apart.

And maybe… just maybe, our good God sees our lack as an opportunity to fill us with more of Him. Maybe our missteps make room for Him to step in. Maybe when we feel left behind or the unfinished pile looms overhead, that’s when we can turn to Him and ask Him what He sees. Because His wisdom knows no end, and His judgment is true. If He allows for things to be imperfect, it’s because He understands the beauty of redemption. He understands how growth can lead to greater gain, more than instant gratification could ever generate. He wants to give us His best. And He knows exactly how He is going to get us there.

So, next time we see life’s holes, let’s choose to walk in the footprints of our gracious God. We aren’t behind, lovely friends. As long as we are standing with our Jesus, we will always be right where we need to be.

When New Years Freaks You Out…

 

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It’s here. The time of well-intentioned resolutions and goals.

It’s the season of change and pursuing dreams.

And while I’m all for living with purpose and determination, this time of the year also stresses me the heck out!  Should we make lists and step boldly forward? Totally. Should we dream big and hope for abundant futures? For sure. But things start to get murky when we look around, get freaked out and proceed to haul loads we were never meant to carry. Let me explain.

I was on Instagram on January 1st, and I was stalking hard. I fixed my sight on my Instafriends, and I was amazed at their gumption. Their goals were dead set, with clear direction and drive. Meanwhile, I stared at my computer screen and could barely muster up enough energy to make breakfast (aka: pouring cereal in a bowl). I immediately started to heap on the guilt, so I made a brilliant decision. I was going to copy their lists.

So, let’s see: I’ll add 20 min of Bible reading each morning with a dash of Weight Watchers and then some 30 minute daily exercises because why not. And while I’m at, let’s throw writing goals and speaking engagements and building an author platform into the mix. Wait. I forgot about purging my home and reorganizing all of my dreaded ‘dear-God-don’t-open-that-door’ closets! Oh, what about the kids and husband? I forgot to put them at the top of the list… well right under God because He comes first… wait, hold on… I totally spaced on my friends! I need to invest in these sweet relationships more too. That will be my third priority, I mean fourth… Agh! I don’t remember the order. Did I get enough sleep? Shoot. I need more sleep. Add it to the list.

After almost inducing a panic attack, I made another decision. A better one. I decided to ask God what He thought. What did He think of all these resolutions and resolved minds? Was He the author behind these grandiose lists and longings? He answered me with a single sentence. “In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Romans 12:6 NLT). As I read these words, I felt my spirit sigh with relief. Different gifts for different people. Unique callings for certain things. All done with one purpose: to do it lovingly well. How kind of our King? How thoughtful of Him, to let us know He does not expect us to do it all. We don’t have to imitate one another’s aspirations. In fact, it has never been His plan to do so.

Our Creator is generous in His giving. He created the universe in all its spectacular glory, while forming His Daughters and Sons with distinct and directed precision. He placed talents and desires in our hearts that are meant to showcase His love, and no two hearts are the same. Our lives reflect His beauty in varying ways, which means our goals are going to look different as well. Really now. We can stop trying to copy and paste. Instead, how about we focus on following His lead and listening for His Voice whenever we encounter life’s opportunities and questions.

What does He wants for our days? What greatness does He have in store when we allow Him to be our guide? Because He’s got this. He has the giftings covered.

In His grace, all of our precious callings have been combined and connected in order to compliment one another… not stir up comparison.

Together, as the Body of Christ, we can show the world the diverse aspects of God’s character. And when we hone in on what He has called us to do, we can do it abundantly well.

So, this year I’m choosing the better way. I’m choosing to listen instead of list. I’m choosing to ask my Father what is needed, and let go of all the extra expectations I am tempted to lug along. He wants us to set our eyes on His good leading. He wants us to experience His gracious best.

May we feel lighter, Dear Reader.

May we fill our lives with Him.