As the children were settling back into school this past September, my husband and I decided to tackle our bathroom renovation. He had already completed our shower, but we still needed to finish and update the rest of the bathroom.
Day one was the easiest day. We took out all of the old flooring, removed the vanity and mirror, and finished by removing the toilet. That night, I woke up in the middle of the night and had to walk to the bathroom on the other side of the house that our children use. I missed my bathroom already, and we were only on day one of this renovation!
On day two, we went on a few trips to a couple of stores to get the things we needed to start our renovation. After prepping the floor to lay down tile, we became anxious, and I still missed my bathroom.
A week went by, and we were able to lay down just enough tile that we could have an extra toilet in the house again. No vanity had been installed because we still needed to lay the rest of the flooring. I had to get ready for the day in the bathroom that my children use because there were still no sinks or mirrors in my bathroom. To add to the mayhem, we then decided to take out the old light fixtures and replace them with recess lighting.
After about three weeks, we had new flooring, new mirrors, a new vanity, new lighting, a new toilet, and new paint in our bathroom. Simply, we had a completely new bathroom. I was happy to have my bathroom back and to not need to share with my children!
When we were in the midst of this project, it was very easy to get irritated. There are five people in our family. For a little while, we needed to wait in line to use the bathroom in our own house. Sunday mornings were a little more complicated with only one bathroom. It was easy to complain, but God reminded me that Philippians 2:14 says, Do all things without murmurings and disputings. This is a command with which we all struggle from time to time, but it is necessary when our circumstances change and we are put to the test.
After our bathroom project was completed, we decided to attempt another project: the kitchen. We removed everything from the kitchen by ourselves, starting with the cabinets, the countertops, and the kitchen sink. We continued by getting out all of the old tile flooring with a power tool. This process coated the entire house in construction dust and startled all of the neighbors, I am sure. Eventually, the cabinets, countertops, sink, flooring, and all appliances were out of the kitchen. Reality set in quickly for me, and I kept asking my husband, “How long until I have my sink back in the kitchen?” Do not get me wrong—I am not a huge fan of washing dishes. However, I especially am not a fan of washing dishes in the small bathroom. We could only eat Chinese food and pizza for so long. How easy it was for me to worry and to complain during this renovation!
After a couple of weeks of washing dishes in the small bathroom, we finally installed flooring and cabinets in the kitchen. Our countertops were delayed, which meant more time washing dishes in the bathroom. It was easy to get upset about this, and it felt as though we would never finish. One whole month later, we finally had our countertops installed and my sink put in place. Our kitchen was completely functional again!
The Bible says in I Thessalonians 5:16, Rejoice evermore. Verse 18 says, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. During these two renovations, I kept looking at what I did not have. The Lord still gave me what I needed: an extra bathroom. He knew I needed that small sink. He knew I would need a microwave to help with meals. He gave us just what we needed to get through each renovation. When I continued to look at all of the things I did not have, I became ungrateful and would complain.
As Christians, it can be easy to get bogged down in our complaints. We tend to complain about the unanswered prayers, the burdens, and the “what-ifs.” We often will find ourselves asking, “When is God going to come through?” When we look at what we have right in front of us, we can see how God has blessed us and has taken care of us. We need to take time to thank God for everything He has given us and has done for us. Instead of complaining about the kitchen sink that is not there, let us thank Him for the bathroom sink that He has already given us.
When we decide to live these verses by rejoicing and by thanking God, we will start to see all of the blessings He gives us. It will be hard to see what we do not have when ALL of the things He has already given us fill our view!
by Mandy Harper
