Some Through the Waters

We have really gone through some "watery" trials lately. =) It all started last month.

Our water heater gave up on us. It had given us trouble for some time. Whenever someone took a shower, we'd all keep an ear open for pounding on the wall. That was the signal to go push the button on the water heater. (chuckle) But then one day, it wouldn't start back up. (Oh, no!) So the menfolk tore the contraption apart. They worked on it for two days. It appeared that the old thing had truly given up the ghost, so we began shopping for a new water heater. But then my genius dad found out what the problem was. Now it's doing better now than it ever has! Praise God!

Our kitchen sink has a separate water heater, so we ladies were able to wash our hair in the meantime. Gracious, I never knew washing two and a half feet of hair could be such an exhausting undertaking. =D

Then, last Tuesday our water went out due to construction taking place on our street. By day three we were into a routine. It was just like the good old days. =) On Saturday we were able to get most of our laundry done at a friend's house and the local laundromat, and we all "imposed" upon some gracious friends who let us use their showers.

Clean laundry.

Clean hair.

All is good in the world! God is good!!! It is amazing to see how the Lord provides in the many situations we all face. He takes such good care of us.

Sunday morning, all was quiet in the house. My sister and I were reading our Bibles in our room. Our small heater droned peacefully as it issued forth its wonderful warmth. Suddenly, it sounded like the house was bursting asunder! We all jumped in startlement. What could it be? The pipes were flowing with water! We were ecstatic! Never did you hear so much excited squealing. "It's back! It's back! We have water!" The first thing I did was flush our toilet. Ha!

Oh, I was happy. Our troubles are over! The first chance I got, I scrubbed the toilets until they fairly glistened. I was quite satisfied. =) We all got busy eating breakfast and readying ourselves for church. I was getting the kitchen ready to give the floor a quick mopping before the services began.

Then the toilet overflowed.

(sigh)

Evidently our water line had frozen overnight. All of the flushing and rushing of water that morning had filled up our pipes until they couldn't hold any more. 

The overflow always comes up in the bathroom downstairs (in my sisters' and my bedroom). When it happened, my sisters started screaming and dad came to the rescue to shut off the main water line. The floor of the bathroom was flooded with about an inch of water. Thankfully, my mom acted quickly and laid some towels across the threshold, saving our carpet from a thorough soaking. We mopped up as much of the water as the could. 

Throughout the week, we all tried to find the good things in our situation. It makes such a difference when you choose to give thanks rather than complaining! And I've discovered that you can always find something good when bad things happen. As I mopped the flooded bathroom, a Scripture verse came to mind. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee" (Isa. 43:2). I mentioned that to my sisters and we all laughed. We certainly had passed through some trials involving water that week. In our case, though, the rivers did overflow. Ha, ha!

So, once again we were without running water. Will it never end??? I mopped the kitchen floor with a sponge in the places where it needed it. Then it was time for church. What a morning it had been! I really needed to find refreshment in God's Word. Dad has been preaching a series lately on our liberty in Christ. Liberty does not give us freedom to sin, but freedom from sin, as well as the freedom to do God's will and find true joy in life. It's been an excellent series!

Unfortunately, during the service I started feeling sick. My back ached terribly and, basically, I was plumb tuckered out. As soon as I finished cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, I headed straight for the recliner and wrapped myself up in a cozy blanket. After I'd rested a bit, I headed downstairs to bail some of the water out of the brimming toilet. Around this time the men from the water plant arrived with their equipment. My dad had called them earlier and asked them to pump our lines. I took around ten minutes, and then they left. 

I scarcely dared believe it -- everything was fixed. Really! We had running water and the plumbing was clear! I finished cleaning up the disaster in our bathroom and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee" (Isa. 43:2). I'm so glad the Lord has been with my family through this trying week. He's provided for our every need in such good ways. How can I gripe and complain when He's taken such good care of us? Blessed be the name of the LORD!

God is good through every trial and test.

God is good, and I know His way is best.

Even when I cannot see the purpose of His plan,

Still I understand, 

God is good.

Ron Hamilton

P.S. Although I was still feeling under the weather, the Lord gave me the strength I needed to help out during our children's Bible Time. The little ones cheered me up so much! I'll leave you with this picture for now and share some more with you another time. =)