November 12 – “Only not hot”

We got our building permit today!  Well, our contractor got it.  Chris says she won't believe it until she sees it with her own eyes.  Talk about a huge relief.  He told us not to tear down the ceilings yet.  He wanted to talk to the insulation guy and make sure he understood exactly what we want.  I'm glad our contractor understands exactly what we want, because I sure don't.  He also said the electrician gave him a bid for replacing the electric meter and box on the outside of the house so we can have electricity up to the house.  The bid for wiring the house will come later on.  It feels strange to be talking about bids – actual money.  We still don't have final settlement from flood or windstorm, so we don't know how much we can spend.  But it is exciting to think that electricity is just around the corner.  We're very close to entering the 20th century again.   We finished pressure washing and sanitizing Mom's house today, too.  Nathan set up the pressure washer and actually did the whole house by himself.  I got to do the back porch.  The thing was powerful.  Knocked me off balance a few times.  It took the paint off some of the walls.  It certainly cleaned off the dirt.  And I sure got wet in the process.     I walked in on Nathan one time and the whole house was covered in a thick mist.  I told Nathan it was like entering some horror movie.  He said, "No, Dad, it's just like being in a fire."  I quickly added, "Only not hot."  We laughed.   The sanitizing part was easy once the man who knew how to mix the chemicals arrived.  He got there about 3:00, just as Chris and I were about to give up for the day.  He and I finished the whole house in less than an hour.  Again, what a huge relief to have that behind us.    I can't get that "only not hot" conversation with Nathan out of my mind, though.  I've never been in a house that is on fire like he has, so I don't really understand his perspective.  But have you ever been in a situation where all the signs point to one thing, and you're positive about your direction or your decision.  Until you get up close or get one more bit of information or hear one more opinion from a friend.  Until then you felt like you were "in a fire."  But now you realize the "only not hot."   Proverbs 19:2 says, "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way."  That's kind of a positive way of saying, "Don't get so overwhelmed with your circumstances that you do something stupid."  It may look like you're in a fire, but maybe – just maybe – it's "only not hot."   Father, this fire we seem to be in sure is overwhelming to us more often than not.  Please reassure us that it's "only not hot."  Amen.