“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out out a horrible pit.
Out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—-Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.”
Psalm 40:1-4
It’s been three years since the flood. Most people in our area remember the flood like it was yesterday. Time seals certain events in our hearts, and no amount of time changes the memory.
People will remember the stories of the flood,, but few people actually know the pre-flood stories of the heart…..mine included. It’s been three years, but this flood-thing had been going on long before the water arrived at my doorstep. In fact, ironically, just a week before the flood I was in our little coffeeshop church group sharing my daily walk of faith. You see, I had been praying Psalm 40 over our little “flooded house” since 2005, after we unknowingly bought the town’s flooded house. The deception surrounding the purchase of the house, with undisclosed flood documents and information, was all too much for my heart to handle. We had prayed fervently over uprooting our little family from a wonderful life in Dallas, to come blindly to the Hill County….all from God’s leading. We had three small children and put all we had into a foreclosure house to flip. The deception ate at my soul. The money pit of lawyers and trying to fix up a disgusting, ratty, previously-flooded dirty house ate at our finances, and debt quickly overwhelmed us. The confusion over “God’s leading” into a horrible pit of confusion ate at my heart. But, in spite of all the misery I felt, God did indeed have a plan. The Lord also brought me a comforter…… new, dear friend Kimmy, who lived next door and spoke truth to my heart when I needed it most…..
“Girl! Where is your faith??”
And so it began. My long 13 year journey with a small town’s flooded house.
Stories of flash-floods were ever-present during the years we lived in that little flooded house. Sometimes, when it would rain, I would rest my head on the pillow at night, and see the nightmare of my three young children in the water. Not a comforting way to go to sleep. I was filled with anxiety. I had to FULLY learn how to be dependent on the Lord. I knew that if a flood happened, it would take everything I had in a short amount of time. (5-10 minutes, to be exact). We always had people checking on us during heavy rains.
“How’s your house? Still dry?”
A few times, we even had people on stand-by, to get valuables out. In fact the week before the big flood, we had the first flood. Coach Campbell actually came with his truck and loaded up heirloom pieces of furniture, and we packed up special possessions. Our house stayed dry, so most of it was brought back, only to be lost in the actual flood a few days later.
13 years is a long time to struggle in muck. Those days were tough, and much harder on my soul than the actual flood itself. I didn’t know that the Lord was preparing my heart for total dependence on Him. (Clearly, I am a slow learner!!!) “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” says the Lord. Some days were good, and some weren’t. Some days, all I could do was remind myself of that phrase of truth “Girl!!! Where is your Faith??????” But, in those bleak 13 years, a miracle happened…..The Lord showed up. Again, and again and again. The Lord gave me comfort, peace and the beautiful gift of faith. Looking back at my 13 year journey, I see all the ways the Lord was present, changing my heart. I truly wouldn’t change a thing.
We all have journeys that test our faith. Sometimes, life isn’t quite what we expect. Sometimes we get stuck in the 13 year muck, and we are forced to depend on the Lord for everything. No where in Scripture does it promise that life is a bed of roses.. in fact, there are a lot of thorns with a beautiful rose. I can’t promise you that the road will be easy, but I can promise you that the Lord will walk with you every step of the way. Someday, you will look back at your journey, and you will see how “God used each situation *mightily* for good for those who love the Lord and who are called for His purpose.” It doesn’t mean all circumstances are good, or that God glorifies in our misery.. Remember, Jesus wept too.. Even when He knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead, He still wept. He feels our sorrows. The Lord will always use all things for good,, and that is the 13 year miracle of my story….
“He heard. He rescued. He set our feet upon a rock. He put a new song of rejoicing in our heart.”
He did these things. Not by my own doing……It was all the Lord.
And that is where I found my faith.
Happy Gardening, my friends.