So for the past month I have been living at our church… we have our beds set up in Sunday School rooms and have to drive around borrowing showers.
And how is it going? Awesome!
I have to admit, I wasn’t so psyched at first. I was actually freaking out. I was frustrated because Hampstead Heath screwed me over at the last minute and then blew me off. I was wondering how the kids will take it.
Well we are actually getting along just fine! Paul and I spend more time actually together instead of in the same room because we are not so distracted by internet/tv. The same with the kids. Maybe the kids also hit a maturing point, because we are communicating a lot more. The kids are more verbal, more “with you” now than they were before. We have great times, great laughs, homemade dinners and creative play time.
I’m learning who my friends really are by seeing the ones that actually come through for me (versus the ones that give lip service). More than that, I’m finding friends in the most unlikely of places – friends that any other time I would’ve passed by!
My faith has been tried and tested, but I feel more “atuned” to God than ever before. I’ve had to spend a lot of time in prayer, but I’ve definitely experienced God talking back and letting me know which way to go.
I wish I could fully write out everything that I’ve been experiencing but it’s… a HUGE life lesson! So it all kind of has to sink in a bit more. I feel like I just survived a tornado… “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!” That kind of feeling. But I also know that I survived, that I am stronger and more confident now than I was before, and that I’m wiser too.
It would be an incorrect assumption that being homeless would make me more stingy, greedy, or self-centered. After all, we need a place of our own, right!? Well, oddly enough, I feel more grateful – and as a result, I’m more generous. After all, my Lord and Savior spent his last adult years technically homeless, following His Father’s leading and ministering wherever God led… And sleeping wherever God provided. And in this lifestyle He preached for us not to worry, that the God who feeds the sparrows considers us much more valuable than the birds. Its an honor to be sustained right out of my Master’s hand!
I guess what could’ve been the most difficult part about this trial is the impact this could have on the kids. But I quickly learned that God’s grace is sufficient even for us parents. What impacts the kids the most is our attitude and the climate we create by it. My kids just want our company and our love – and with these needs being met, they’ll pretty much handle anything in stride!
Well these were just a couple of notes for those of you who were wondering how I was doing. I’m not lying or being sarcastic when I say, “I’m doing good!” There’s more to life than the material stuff… the luxuries of life are the icing on the cake, not the cake itself! And as far as my soul is concerned, I’m being fed steak and potatoes.