A WORD FOR TODAY, July 9, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
We have undergone a lot of change in the past few months. Our son moved out in February which set off a series of tasks around our house. The other catalyst was the death of my husband’s parents. He and his sister have had to deal with the estate, not just paperwork but also the clearing of the family home, a home that has been in the family for nearly two hundred years. The attic was filled with childhood toys and other things. The barn was filled with old tires. The basement was filled with piles of newspapers. There were many good things that were worth keeping or selling, but so much was just chaos.
Back at our house, both my husband and I decided that we would not leave our children a house full of chaos if we could help it. When our son moved out, his bedroom was transformed into my husband’s office. We cleaned furniture as it was moved in. I cleaned the desk. I cleaned the bookshelves. I cleaned the filing cabinet. Can anyone tell me why I still had tax paperwork from 1999? We had to have moved it to three different houses! I went through every drawer in this house, replacing “junk drawers” (they were all junk drawers) with drawers that have a purpose. I even left a few drawers empty. I’ve purged my books, leaving some shelves empty. We took a huge pile of items to Good Will. The house was a bit chaotic for awhile as we made decisions and found the right place for everything.
And now I’m ready to go even deeper. Our house is more than thirty years old, and much of it needs to be remodeled. We are starting with a bathroom. Unfortunately, this means more chaos. We are waiting for an estimate from the remodeler. I want to buy the pieces we need, but I don’t want to store it if it will be months before we can begin the work. This is how it is, though, isn’t it? Sometimes you need chaos before you can find order.
I’m not sure we can imagine the chaos and confusion that must have existed before God ordered all things. What would the earth have been like when it was nothing but waste and void? I would like to think I understand these things, to see in my mind’s eye what God saw before the beginning, but even the most analogous experiences of our lives can’t come close. Yet, God was able to make good and wonderful things happen with only His Word. He spoke and brought order out of chaos. He imagined the world and it came into being with light, heavens and earth, land and sea.
There are still tasks to accomplish before everything is completely in order in our house, but we are well on our way to having an updated home in which to live. There is always one thing that holds us together amidst the chaos and confusion in our world: God brings order out of chaos and He is working through our mess to establish peace in our hearts and our home.
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