Unexpected Blessing

We are getting a new home. I never thought that we would be in this place in life. We were happy with the house we had and had no plans to build a new one. It was old, but it had character and we were happy there. But God had other plans. It is now 3 months since our house burned down, and so much has happened since then. Sometimes it still feels a bit unreal, but I know it is true. I can see it happening before my eyes so it is hard to deny. But it is not easy. It is overwhelming at times, it is frustrating at times, and there are so many things to think of and decisions to make. Some days are easy and we are excited about the progress and getting a new house. There is lots of paperwork to do, and insurance to deal with. Then there is life, and all the normal things that still need doing and our days are full from morning to evening.

I was thinking about all these things a while back, and in my devotions I read again the verse that spoke to me in the early days after the fire. In Isaiah 61:3 it talks about giving a crown of beauty instead of ashes, and in Psalm 67:12 it says "we went through fire and water but you brought us to a place of abundance." I agreed that we were being brought through the fires and ashes and were were coming to a place of beauty and abundance and I praised God for this blessing, but I asked Him why if it was good, was it so hard. He told me it was because it was so unexpected. Wow! I had never thought of it that way. Lots of time we thank God for blessings that are planned for and prepared for, or if they are unexpected, they are like a gift, ready to be enjoyed. This new house is a blessing, but but the path is difficult because we had never planned for this. We can see God's hand in so much of this house building experience thus far, and we know He is in it with us, and He is bringing us to a place of abundance and so we give Him praise. But still, every day is not easy and sometimes we feel like running away, but then I look at the house and am reminded of this blessing, this unexpected blessing, that God is giving us. He just wants us to learn and grow and trust in Him through this all, and He is faithful. He continues to give us strenth and wisdom, and we are doing okay.