Keeping the End in Sight

A few weeks ago we started remodeling our family room.  It is a project we wanted to do.  It is a project for which we thought we were ready.  It is a project where we thought we could “stick to the budget”. 

However, now that it has begun, life seems to be a bit disheveled, and I am having a hard time keeping a good attitude.

You see, this “little” project has affected our lives tremendously.  It is costing us more time and money than we were planning. We included a couple add-ons, like moving a doorway over, extending our kitchen floor, and redoing our fireplace.  Those additions are bringing about extra projects, like replacing the kitchen floor since we now have an extension built onto it!

As with most projects, we ran into various glitches along the way.  One problem we found was a water leakage into our wall and fireplace area.  Fun!

Today I came home from a day at the homeschool co-op, only to find a thick layer of dust from the drywall sanding covering the entire family room and kitchen floors.  There is also a thin coating of dust covering my kitchen area, including *clean* dishes, past the plastic “walls” that were put up to protect it.  Yes, this project is affecting other rooms of my house now, as the dirt and debris travels through the air and upon soles of feet.

Through all of this, I have to tell myself to keep the end in sight!  It can be very discouraging to live through this – with so much mess, items scattered around my house waiting for their “home” to be finished, and a non-functioning, crucial room.

If I can somehow remember what the end will look like, I can bear up under this extra pressure right now.  I can clean the dust with joy.  I can justify the extra time and money we are pouring out.

My mind starts to spin, and I think about how this applies to life itself – particularly when things come our way, and we aren’t quite prepared for all they bring to our lives.

God is wise, and He knows all.

He sees the end of everything.

He knows our situations and plans them carefully so they bring about the fruit He desires.

If you are going through something in your life right now, trust God!  Remember that even in situations where we *d0* know the end, it can be very difficult to live them out.  All the more, we must trust our God and know that He loves us, cares for us, and sees a good end!

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.