Peace Like a River

This weekend we experienced one crazy mishap after another.  It began on Friday with dismantling the dishwashers to clean them and ended on Sunday with water, from those same dishwashers, leaking all over the kitchen floor.  In between the dishwasher events, K16 drove Rob's truck into a tree, Rob set the battery of his 1964 GTO on fire, and Rob's sister Sandy set my oven on fire. 

It's funny how sometimes the littlest thing sends me into a tail spin and other times a whole series of unfortunate events becomes the stuff that makes a good story.  I pretty sure the presence of Sandy and her daughter Amy helped us manage our circumstances without melting down.  I know that the grace and mercy of God enabled K16 to walk away from that tree without even a bruise.  I suspect that the same grace and mercy allowed us to see beyond the frustration and move forward.

One thing I know is that when circumstances come on one after another, much like the water flowing in a river, I can fight the current or I can go with the flow.  Fighting the current means that I spend a lot of time and energy trying to move backward.  Since I am much weaker than the flow, I'm not likely to get far nor am I likely to be happy as I fight.  It also means that I'm facing away from what comes next.  That could be a pretty costly error when the next event comes around the bend.  Going with the flow means that I pay attention to what's happening and use it to my advantage, finding good footing and a friendly shore as I move with the circumstances.  Going with the flow means I don't spend time complaining or worrying.  It means I give thanks for the good and consider how to move forward with the challenges. 

The events of the weekend were pretty horrendous.  It would be very easy to call it a terrible weekend but I can't.  We had a lovely visit with Sandy and Amy.  The weather was perfect.  Our busy weekend of activities, shooting sports, football banquet, and church, was fun and rewarding. We have a new battery and wiring for the GTO.  A dishwasher repair guy will be here on November 20.  The insurance company is picking the truck up today.  We are all healthy and whole. 

Sometimes when circumstances flow like a river it's best to cling to the peace that's flowing right along with them.