October 10 - “Hard for You, Good for Me”

Our street was almost clean today.  I guess The Claw and the bulldozers returned after we left.  It sure made a difference in the smell outside.  No more rotting, maggot-infested refrigerator – freezer contents.  Woo-Hoo!  Joy in the small things.

The second round of FEMA inspectors descended on our neighborhood today as well, like a swarm of insects.  These are the ones who are “working for the city to gather data.”  This “data” is what will determine whether our neighborhood can rebuild or if it will be condemned … and bulldozed to the ground.  They were a nice couple.  She talked a lot, and he came up to me one time and asked, “Did you know that side of your house has moved away from the foundation?”  Well, yes, we did notice that, and we haven’t had a contractor look at it because … because we’re waiting to see if you condemn the house anyway!  Later on I overheard him talking to his supervisor at our neighbor’s house.  Same thing happening there.  The supervisor’s take on it?  “Oh, they can just give this a few really hard smacks with a sledge hammer and it’ll be as good as new.”  Sure it will.

Meanwhile, Chris decided it was time to get rid of the huge piles of rubble strewn about inside the house.  Now this was a good thing.  I figured we could make some calls and by tomorrow have a team in here to move this stuff out quick and painless.  But that’s not exactly what Chris had in mind.  She wanted to be at each pile, lovingly sifting through, looking for any last vestiges of salvageable treasures.  And she wanted the rest of it bagged up and carried to the curb.  I was not particularly convinced of the efficiency of her plan, but also not particularly inclined to argue.  We did compromise at one point.  She filled up bags and I shoveled stuff into the wheelbarrow.  Then she added her bags to my load and out the door it went.  And I only dropped one load.  Hit that big root by the front porch.  Ouch.).

The two of us cleared the living room, my office, our bedroom, one bathroom, and Josh’s old bedroom.  I think she was ready to move on.  But I was beat.  We sat in our lawn chairs (I collapsed.  She sat), and downed yet another bottle of water.  And then Chris said something that really struck me.  “I know this is really hard for you when it’s just the two of us, but it’s really good for me.”  Now I know that doesn’t sound like a romantic comment in context, but she was speaking of love.  She was telling me that she understood that it was a show of my love for her for me to undergo all this pain so she could experience the satisfaction of having done all she could do to salvage the tiniest of trinkets.  Hmmm.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son , that whoever believes in him might have eternal life.”  (John 3:16).  Hard for you.  Good for me.

Father, I recognize that the sacrifice you made to make salvation possible was … to way-oversimplify … hard for you, good for me.  What else can I say, but thanks?  Amen.