Today I Have; Always I Have

We arrived at our cottage yesterday for an extended stay. It's been between -5 and -15 degrees Fahrenheit before the wind chill here and let's just agree to say it is cold. Maybe not as snowy as Boston or cold as Minnesota, but I really don't need to compete, I just know it's cold!

So after the drive, I walk in to start the furnace and … nothing.

Uh oh.

I was in immediate investigation and maintenance mode; and I had to make a call fairly quick. If the furnace doesn't go on, we head home. There are certain things we can work around (mainly thinking water issues) but heat is not one of them. I can't unpack the luggage and family and hope that the furnace kicks on as the sun sets on a day as cold as it was … and still is. A fire in the fireplace is cozy, but hardly effective against so much cold and so much house.

To save you the drama, I was able to diagnose the issue, restart, and got it running. Right then and there I was relieved … vacation was saved and can now begin! But what if I find out we have a frozen water line? No problem … it will thaw. We have heat!

Indeed we did have water issues, and it came to melting snow to thaw pipes (as we ran out of bottled water, aside some we saved for drinking) but I was already relaxed. Did I mention we have heat?

After a few hours I got it to break free and we had running water … well … some … and all cold … but we can drink, make coffee … and flush! =)

I'm happy!

A while later we broke the hot water lines free … and filled the tank! Now we have hot water! Well, at least in one faucet!

Then it was the hot water in the tub that sprung free ... a hot shower! What a treat!

Then it was the kitchen sink!

Then it was the dishwasher!

All in about 24 hours … it was like surprises and little gifts every 6 hours or so.

And now? All systems go and a vacation ahead of me.

I wonder if I would be as thrilled, relaxed, and appreciative if the furnace didn't have any issues? If the water lines weren't frozen, and the faucets ran, and the showers were up and running, and we were running a dishwasher right from the start?

"One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ." - Oswald Chambers
So am I saying God broke my water lines free to bring me comfort? (then what about the busted pipes and havoc it caused down the road at my cousins' place?) ... my point isn't the pipes, the water, or the heat. My point is how something like that got me to focus on the every day moments of life ... and how Jesus does not play a starring role on a show occasionally. He is the show itself. It got me to slow down enough to see Him again. Perhaps next time when I do have to turn around and head back home I will remember these very words I write now. He's the same yesterday as He is today as He will be tomorrow.

Today I have heat, but I will always have Jesus.

His,
~Matthew