Dependence: The state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else.
When water started coming in my house, we had to have a structural engineer come, jackhammer up some of our floor and put a drain in. I looked at our savings, people had helped, I crunched the numbers and thought, "We can weather this."
Halfway into the work he called me to tell me he had come across a pipe that drains to the sewer. It was corroded. He offered to help fix it, but soon discovered all of the pipes under my house were corroded. He was going to have to replace them all.
I dropped by one evening to check on the progress. You can check out my Facebook page to see what I found.
I felt like God said, "How about this? Can you weather this, Sparky?" No. Not any of it.
For the past four months I have been utterly dependent. I've needed help from my kids, contractors, coworkers and congregation. I have no control over the timetable, the work or the cost. I am completely out of my depth.
And we have been beautifully cared for. Our family, friends, church and work have given us so much money it's embarrassing. Half of the cost has been covered. They have repaired the walls and are offering to do more, even while we're traveling.
Because of our life in missions I thought I had dealt with the dependence issue. For 19 years I've been asking for help. But this has been a wake up call for me. I still think I'm in control. I'm not. I'm one corroded pipe away from a meltdown.
Dependence is the antithesis of American culture. And it is at the heart of the Gospel. Thank you everyone for loving us so well and reminding me of our need, not only for God, but for each other.
When water started coming in my house, we had to have a structural engineer come, jackhammer up some of our floor and put a drain in. I looked at our savings, people had helped, I crunched the numbers and thought, "We can weather this."
Halfway into the work he called me to tell me he had come across a pipe that drains to the sewer. It was corroded. He offered to help fix it, but soon discovered all of the pipes under my house were corroded. He was going to have to replace them all.
I dropped by one evening to check on the progress. You can check out my Facebook page to see what I found.
I felt like God said, "How about this? Can you weather this, Sparky?" No. Not any of it.
For the past four months I have been utterly dependent. I've needed help from my kids, contractors, coworkers and congregation. I have no control over the timetable, the work or the cost. I am completely out of my depth.
And we have been beautifully cared for. Our family, friends, church and work have given us so much money it's embarrassing. Half of the cost has been covered. They have repaired the walls and are offering to do more, even while we're traveling.
Because of our life in missions I thought I had dealt with the dependence issue. For 19 years I've been asking for help. But this has been a wake up call for me. I still think I'm in control. I'm not. I'm one corroded pipe away from a meltdown.
Dependence is the antithesis of American culture. And it is at the heart of the Gospel. Thank you everyone for loving us so well and reminding me of our need, not only for God, but for each other.
Jeff and Nancy, There are no broken pipes in Heaven! Sorry for the mess you're living in but thanks for the reminder of our need to remember who to put our faith in. Have a safe trip to Ecuador and if you see anyone we might know give them our regards. Send us your address when you have a chance. Blessings, Doug and Kris
ReplyDeleteThanks guys! Yep, streets of gold and flawless piping. :-)
Delete