Every good and perfect thing

The saga continues.

Like a bad joke that keeps coming up.

Paul and I were going to leave on a much anticipated weekend getaway with dear friends that we hadn't seen in more than a decade.

We were T-minus 30 minutes from departure when I heard that gut-wrenching sound:

Rushing water.

Above my head.

And then I saw it.

Running down the wall, a waterfall in the doorway.

Yep.  We have had yet another busted pipe.  You cannot make this stuff up.

Thankfully, oh, my praise the Lord, thankfully, I was in the exact same place as the leak when the pipe busted.  I had a moment of complete shock as I stared at the water falling from the ceiling, but then made a rush to the water pump and turned the sucker off.

Thankfully, I was there to turn it off and the water damage is minimal.

Thankfully, I was there, because originally I wasn't supposed to be.

Originally I was supposed to be on a field trip with Maddie, with none of us coming home until 45 minutes after the time of the pipe busting.

Thankfully, Paul found the problem and was able to get it fixed himself.

He and I worked feverishly to clean up the mess as much as possible.

And we still made it out the door, albeit 2.5 hours late, for our getaway.

I'm sure you can picture the scene of me sobbing as I am looking at yet another water-damaged scene, and the thoughts that the entire weekend is cancelled as we are left at home to clean up the mess.

I'm not sure why the events played out like they did.  But there was one thing that kept coming to my mind the entire weekend:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

 who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

The first time it came in my head, I thought how crazy it was that I was thinking of that verse.

Good and perfect?  Gift? I have another water-logged home, more repairs and costs coming our way.  How does this connect?

But God kept bringing me back to that verse.  And if there is one thing I know, God's word is true.

And every good and perfect thing comes from Him.  Perhaps the definition I would give "good and perfect" are not the same as what God would use to describe it?

In the times that difficulty, or inconveniences, come our way, let us not so quickly ask God, "Why me?"

Why not you?  Why not me?

He can take this moment and work it for your good.  It may not be pretty when you are in the middle of the mess, but if your focus is kept on Him, no doubt He will bring you through it.

As the verse reminds us, He created the stars, is He not able to bring your through your mess that you are in?  He does not change.  The God of yesterday is still the God of today....and tomorrow.

Your mess may not be how you want it to be and it may last longer than you want it to.

But your mess today is nothing compared to the mess Jesus already took care of for you.  He's already covered the biggest messes at the cross. 

I don't want to lightly pass over the difficulty you may be in.  I don't want to stick a band-aid on it and say pat answers like, "it's all going to be OK." 

Because some of you may be in the middle of something hard.  And it is really tough to find anything remotely good, let alone perfect.

So let's turn to hope.  To the One who promises to never leave us.  Who promises something better beyond this life.

And if we can hope in the Faithful Promise, we can truly find something that is good, and most certainly perfect.