Lately, I feel like the Lord has been teaching me a lot about inconvenience.
I guess it started about a year ago, when we decided to downgrade to one car (out of frugal necessity, really, rather than choice). Perhaps for the first time, my eyes were opened to the blessings that came alongside inconvenience, seeing how the change made me be more intentional about considering our schedules, accepting the hospitality of friends and neighbors who were willing to give us a ride when needed, as well as the obvious financial fruits that resulted.
And then when we moved into our new apartment, it has seemed like one thing after another has happened, regarding discovering new leaks and creaks all over. For the first few days, we didn't even have hot water, so we had to heat up big stock-pots worth of water just when I wanted to do dishes. (We don't have a dishwasher either!)
Currently, we have a small invasion of teensy-tiny ants that have been driving me crazy, as I race after them with a fly swatter, flip-flop or little bottle of bleach-water to drown them with. (Let me know if you have any tried-and-true tactics to offer up.)
It's been one, and then another.
And each time, when the frustrations flair, I feel like the Lord is asking me to be thankful for these inconveniences. He is teaching me that though they are annoying and often more time-consuming than not, there is still—there is always—something to be thankful for. He is teaching me to accept what is given to me with grace. He is teaching me to see with new eyes how small these things really are, despite how big they feel in the moment.
He is teaching me to let him have his way with my heart, even through these most minor of situations. Though they are trivialities to be sure, he is still at work, molding and shaping. Turning everything into a lesson. What, around here, we like to call a "blesson." ;)
I know that this little journey that the Lord is taking me on right now is not over or near complete. I can sense I am still in the middle of this, perhaps even at the beginning!
Related Posts
What I've Learned from Only Having One Car
Cultivating Gratitude for the Smallest of Things
{ photo }
a "blesson." Love it! Great post. :)
ReplyDeleteWell said.
ReplyDeleteCarmen- I love it! This totally totally reminds me of our first year in our house! I can remember when one of our pipes burst and we couldn't use the hot water...I heated up water in big pots and then carried them to the tub to give myself little mini-baths...brr! The only cups that were short enough to fit in the pots were our good juice glasses. Nothing like shattering one on the bathroom floor at 5:30am. To this day, the "no glass in the bathroom rule" still stands. ;)
ReplyDeleteHoly Cow- we have been there. But it made our marriage stronger. I am glad you are finding the good in all of it, but I promise it will get better. :)
Love this post. I always find it funny that through all of my frustrations, I am able to learn a "blesson". I guess that's the point of life, isn't it? :-)
ReplyDelete@ Nicole & @ Zara - Thanks!!
ReplyDelete@ Holly - Haha, well I'm glad I am not alone. I suppose it's like a rite of passage or something to have to overcome all these little home quirks and challenges. At least we're learning through it!
@ Jhan - I think it totally is!
Hey Carmen! Love your blog! I have a quick (and very effective fix) for those ants. We just bought a puppy a few months ago and apparently ants love dog food. I almost went crazy trying to get rid of them for a whole week until I came across a tip on the internet that worked pretty close to instantly! Take a spray bottle, and mix up a batch of water, rubbing alcohol, and dishwashing liquid. (I never measured it). Shake it up until it bubbles and then spray any ants that you see (kills them immediately) as well as any ant trails you notice. I pretty much doused my whole kitchen and dinging room with the mixture one night and the next morning...no ants. They haven't been back since.
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks for the tip, Kayla! We ended up getting some of those ant bait things and the population has since subsided, but I'm going to keep this in mind in case they come back because it seems a lot easier (and maybe safer?). I appreciate it!!
ReplyDelete