This year we moved into our new house. It is so wonderful to be home. And, on this afternoon after a very busy morning, I have enjoyed more than one nap on the couch!

But, I remember a Sunday afternoon a few years ago that was so different, so difficult. I have one word for it – muck.

You see, after the foundation had been laid for our new home, we had one rain storm after another. Our builder told us we needed to wait for the muck to dry out before work could continue. And so, I decided to see what I could do to hurry the process up. This particular afternoon was sunny and there was a nice breeze. It seemed to me that perhaps some old fashioned hard work might make a difference.

I grabbed a rake and a hoe and headed into the middle of the foundation, built of cement blocks. It looked like a little mud with some dry patches. I started raking around the edges. I thought that by breaking up the surface, the wet mud underneath would be exposed to the sun and breeze, causing it to dry.

The more I worked, the farther I got away from the cement walls. Using the hoe, I would lift some of the mud and plop it down again. The harder I worked, the bigger the job got. And, the farther out into the muck I went.

And then it happened, my foot was stuck in the muck. I couldn’t raise my leg – the muck was stronger than I was. I realized that the muck had captured my shoe; I could be free if I just gave up a shoe. I wasn’t trapped.

In the end,I was able to use the hoe to break the suction holding my shoe and extricate my foot and my shoe! Victory!!

Wait…the muck was still there. I did nothing to change the situation. No matter how how dedicated, how focused, I stubborn I was, I couldn’t change the muck. All I did was frustrate myself and get stuck and almost lose a shoe. There was no victory…no victory, but a lesson learned. Sometimes we just have to wait it out.

Sigh…I wish I lived like I had really learned that lesson. Just a thought.

Love,

Jill (just one of God’s kids)