February 6, 2010

• Following my husband.. in richer or poorer (Part 2)

  A phrase has continued to roll around my brain lately......the phrase is 'going without knowing'.  The quote  comes from Hebrews 11:8  .. "Abraham went out.. not knowing where he was going". My thoughts though have not been centered on Abraham so much .. but on his wife Sarah. For where the husband goes.. the wife (should) follow. Abraham was called to go out to a place.. he went out not knowing where he was going... and Sarah followed. 

  Now ... my present situation ... in no way compares to the rigors that Sarah endured in her years of desert tent living. Yet the Lord has used her life to encourage me in my present situation and I have found strength as I've meditated on the details of her journey. 

  For whatever was written
  in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through
  perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
  hope" Romans 15:4

  Sarah followed Abraham. She left her family, friends and the comfort of her home...  (otherwise, why the mention of tents?) to follow her husband into a land of uncertainty. I've wondered what she felt as she was leaving her homeland and her family knowing the likelihood of never seeing them again this side of heaven. Would she miss her home? Was she fearful of the unfamiliar and what lie ahead? Did she question Abraham's decision? Yet, she left and followed her husband into the unknown. I have felt many of these same emotions the past few months yet God has given me my assignment... to submit to my husband... to go where he goes. 

  I made a vow to my husband  more than 25 years ago. I promised .. for better or for worst... in richer or poorer... in sickness and in health... till death we do part. I made this covenant not only with my husband but before the Lord. I've lived in low conditions with him in the early years of our marriage. I've followed him into the land of prosperity where we lived a very abundant life. I'm now following him into a land of uncertainty...one filled with many unknowns concerning his health and what our future will hold financially now that he is disabled. I have found God's grace to be (over the top) abundant and sufficient. 

  When the Scriptures mention Sarah in 1 Peter 3:5 they state that she put her hope (trust)  in God.  You know...I personally believe that submission is 99% (100?) trust in the sovereignty and character of God.   Our hope cannot rest alone in our husband's wisdom, strength or ability but in God's power to order even the smallest details of our life... down to our very next breath... out of His great love for us and for His glory.  Our hope must remain in God and the fact that He is sovereignly leading us through our husbands.. especially as we are 'going without knowing'. 

  The bottom line is that we exist for God's glory. 1 Cor. 10:31 So, ultimately our marriage is not so much about our needs being met but about obeying God's Word in order to bring Him glory. Sarah brought glory to God as she submitted to her husband and followed him into the unknown. 

  I would imagine that a wife's contentment in her lot in life must be of great comfort to her husband.

  So with that introduction....

  Many of you have asked if we're settled.  Bless you! Yes, we are 99% settled into our new little 'bungalow'.  We are comfortable, happy and content. God's grace is sufficient. My husband is still suffering from a lot of pain but since he is not working he is able to take his medication regularly which keeps things manageable. We received our first denial letter from the disability department. We were told to expect this but I must admit that my heart sank when I first read it. I dug my heels into the Scriptures and drew strength from God's Word. We've already sent for the appeal papers.

  I promised pictures ....

  This is my kitchen.... the door to the left is our entrance from the barn. The door in the middle of the wall is the restroom. You can't see it from this picture (I've shown it below) but my 'office' is to the right ..next to the sink. The door leading to our living room/dining room/ bedroom is behind the office.  I've had to become VERY creative with my space since we're living in a place that is smaller than our garage was in our last home. Normally I would not put a bookshelf in my kitchen but it was the only place I could fit my beloved friends (books).   I used to own 2 smaller bookshelves and another one this size filled with books. I narrowed them down to my favorites (which are double stacked) to fit on this one bookshelf.

  

  This is my 'office' below. I have some of my office supplies in the cabinets above. My file cabinets are in our clothes closet. The printer is down below the table. I paid bills in my 'office' this past week and amazingly enough my 'system' worked just fine.

  

  This is our LIVING ROOM / DINING ROOM/ BEDROOM!  

  I'm sorry the picture turned out so dark. The table to the left is my Aunt's which was a blessing since our table was too large. We stored our couches and love seats. I was able to fit a bench under the window for extra seating. If you look in the right hand corner you'll see the tip of the bed.

  

  ...and here is the rest of the bedroom. We had to block off an entrance because our bed was too big. I'm thinking of ways to use a backdrop on the wall behind the bed to cover the door. Any ideas?

  

  Our bathroom does not have any closed storage so I found these baskets at a discount store. I also added the curtains. My granddaughter gave me the picture below with Scripture on it for Christmas. It says to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS"! A good daily reminder!

  

  The picture below is my 'extended kitchen' which is outside our 'bungalow' in the barn. There was no room for the fridge in the kitchen. I'm using my fabric cutting table (right hand corner) as my kitchen 'island'. Instead of dragging everything into the kitchen to chop I will use my cutting board and chop things near the fridge. There is a sink behind the cutting table. I have our food stored in both cabinets on the sides of the fridge. Cooking in my kitchen(s) reminds me of a cross between camping and hotel living. I'm making the same meals.. I'm just doing things a bit differently.

  

  So there you have it! Home Sweet Home! I'm learning HUGE lessons of contentment in my SMALL home!

  Since my husband and I are living in such close quarters these days it kind of has the feel of a second honeymoon.

  • 9:25 pm
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