Not Yet But Already There
Every day my husband comes home from his unofficial role as “Project Manager” of our house renovation project with updates and photos for me to see. We knew when we bought this old house built in 1941 that a complete modernized redo was likely but we had no idea it would take over a year to finish. Yesterday Dave showed me photos of the custom kitchen cabinets with their new hardware attached. I was delighted! But like everything else, it is not yet done. Two cupboard doors had somehow been damaged and need to be rebuilt. We have started to laugh because nearly everything that has been started is not yet completely done - electrical, windows, floors, tiling etc. But despite what remains unfinished, we are starting to feel hope that a first quarter 2024 move-in might happen.
What do you do when you’re waiting for completion of the “not yet?”
Honestly, early on I vented my frustration by complaining about the builder, about the subs, about the delays etc. But God has graciously been teaching me gratitude instead. Daily I keep a record of that for which I am grateful in my life and this leads me to contentment. More importantly, I pray specifically to God. Then when an unscheduled subcontractor shows up to do that thing I prayed for, I can see it as an answered prayer.
A completed house isn’t nearly as important to me as a restored relationship with a family member for which I’ve been praying for years. But when I count the ways God has restored so many other things in my life, it helps me trust Him for the “not yet” for which I’m still longing.
I love how the Psalmist says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV). By directing my focus on the LORD instead of the people and circumstances that have let me down, I can take heart and wait with courage for HIM. This goes so beautifully with my words for 2024: Listen and Align.
As I listen in prayer, it’s so much easier for me to wait for His timing for the “not yet.” In the meantime, I have a front row seat through prayer to see God daily break in to show me He cares about everything that concerns us. That’s our main prayer for this house: That God will use it however He wants to advance His kingdom, to show hospitality to all the people He loves. Isn’t it true that everything we have calls us to partner with God right where we are? So if we have to wait a little bit longer, that’s ok. We are already praying for the people we have yet to meet after we move into our St.Pete house and investing our time in the people here that we already know.
“I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too-your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful - I can’t take it all in!” (Psalm 139:5-6 Message)
Even in our season of “not yet,” God is already there. Are you waiting too? Let’s focus on Him as we wait.
