The Big Finish

About 13 months ago, we looked at the prospects of selling our home and moving further into the woods.  A dream of ours - to have a home surrounded by pines and land to hike and hunt.  As the housing market went bottomward, we decided to stay put and do some remodeling.

We began downstairs with fresh paint and carpet, turning the extra bedroom into a classroom and making the den a place for the kids to hang with video games and a foosball table.  It took about 3 months.

I do not deal well with chaos, but I handled that quite well.  No tears.

In January we began the process of looking at how to remodel our kitchen / dining area.  We made the cabinet order and in February began the demo.  Here it is April 2nd and it's the last day of contrators!  The carpets are being laid in the bedrooms and then we are done. 

It's amazing to look back at the past 8 weeks:
   1 Superbowl Party
   2 Emergency Room Visits
   1 Major Surgery
   8 weeks of school work
   3 flooring changes
   1 Vacation (much needed!)
  
Then the things you can't count:
   How many times you bit your tongue as your spouse made another change (guess who!)
   How many times your son sighed at you over having to move something - again.
   How many times your daughter changed her carpet choice - we chose the color in the end.
   How many times you have moved the towels to accomodate pantry changes, cabinet changes, etc.
   The kleenexes used as dust has been stirred up from moving furniture.

And only one day of tears!  I stood in my kitchen Wednesday and cried - I can't do this!

But I did!

One of my favorite sayings comes from my mom.  After a major surgery that went majorly wrong, I was in the bathroom vomiting yet again and my mom wiped my forehead with a wet cloth and said, "You are closer to the end of this than the beginning."

Closer to the End.

I think that means in everything.  Every journey begins with a single step - yes that's cliche, but it's true.  And each step brings you closer to the end that you were before.  It's like telling your children who ask for the hundreth time on a road trip, "are we almost there?" - Well, we are closer than we were.

We are closer to the end of an illness.  We are closer to the end of financial trouble.  We are closer to the end of strife.

And, we are closer to the end of this World - which means we are closer to meeting Jesus face to face!

At least, I hope you are closer.

Remember, knowing about God doesn't assure your eternity.  Satan knows about God.  It's knowing Him.  It's having a relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

It is saying, God, we all mess up - me included.  But your Son, Jesus died for my sins.  I want to know You, God.  I want to know your Son.  I want You to know me, too.  Forgive my sins, my short-fallings, my disobedience.  From today, I choose to follow You.  Alone.

It is the message of Easter.

It is admitting that God is the one true God.  That Jesus is His only Son.  Beliving that Jesus died for your sins, a final sacrifice for all mankind.  Confessing that, "I am Christ's child!  He loves me!"  and Deciding to follow Him forever.

And then you are closer to the end than the beginning!