We are trying to sell our house. It is not going as I had hoped. Many of the people who have walked through our home have noted that the floor is uneven in a basement room, and mention that our stairs are off as well. What? I never noticed this and I LIVE HERE! And there is the problem. Because I live in the place, I see it day in and day out, and I do not notice small changes. We get used to what we live with and assume it is normal. Our eyes and attitudes and actions adjust and embrace the crooked as the new straight. It takes the objective eye of someone who is outside the situation to notice that things are askew.The first reaction when someone points out that things are off in ones home (or life) is denial. Surely not! Hey, everything is fine! I would know if something was not right. I am here 24/7. I can't be that blind! Um, yes I could be that oblivious, especially regarding something that I have grown so accustomed to that I assume it is normal when in fact, it could be on the verge of developing into a major problem. We get pretty good at adjusting our standards and expectations to accommodate where we are at. That's never a good idea. Instead, we should be aligning our lives to a higher, immovable, godly, straight standard. The leveling tool never lies. Measure by that, not by what you feel or see around you.
The second stage when you see that there might be deep foundational problems is PANIC! The concept of things not being correct at the foundation is frightening and the idea that it will have to be addressed and dug up in some way is unsettling. So much easier just to fix the symptom. Can't we just straighten the floor? Add some cement? Leave the issue under the carpet, for real? If everything looks fine, it will probably be fine, right? At least for another 5 years. Today, I can't get my head around how this is all going to work out and I feel the flutter of fear. I am a bit overwhelmed.
The third and fourth stages are acceptance and action. As Dean says, things can always be fixed. So we are having a foundation specialist come in to assess the state of our foundation. Worst case scenario, our house is sliding off into the woods. Best case scenario, the house settled after it was built and just needs some tweaking. Despite it looking like one of the worst possible things that could happen when you put your house up for sale, I do believe in God's timing. We never would have addressed this issue at this time had we not had other eyes to point out the problem. Our home is still under the builder's warranty for another year so in that way I believe the timing is a blessing as well. I don't know that we would have looked at the foundation under everyday living circumstances.
In the meantime, I have been speaking to my house (and myself) from Isaiah 40, calling it into alignment.
Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God.
Fill in the valleys, level off the hills,
Smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks.
Then God's bright glory will shine and everyone will see it.
May it be so.
This is a photo of the shack where my sponsor child and her family live in South Africa. Kind of puts things in perspective.
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