Well, this year was almost completely different because my roommate's family decided to spend the week in Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving. On Friday morning, I drove to the tree farm and met up with everyone. Since there are four homes represented, there are four trees that are sought, cut and tied to the rack of the car. This year, someone didn't plan well and guess whose tree couldn't fit on the truck rack with all of the other trees? Obviously, mine! This meant that I would take our tree home. This is fine and dandy when you have a rack on your roof, but I don't. Also, this would be fine and dandy if my car wasn't less than a year old as I wouldn't care so much about preserving the insides of my car. And so, I drove home with a tree lodged inside my car. The aroma of pine wafted in my car as I drove the 90 miles home, oh and it still does. While there were towels to cover my car, countless needles littered the interior as the tree rolled from side to side on each turn of Highway 17. Needless to say, I was not thrilled with the idea of driving the tree home especially by myself.
I normally wouldn't object to lugging home a tree, but honestly, what was I going to do with it once I got home? I could probably drag it out of my car but there's no way I could carry it by myself upstairs. It still needed the end of the trunk cut and while I'm fairly adept at using a knife in the kitchen, the saw ain't my thing. Also, I despise tree sap. Well, my sister asked her husband if he could help and boy, was he a lifesaver! He not only carried it upstairs, he also cut it for me and helped me center it in the stand. We left it on the porch so that I could do some re-arranging of furniture in my house to fit the tree.
Yesterday, I decided to climb into my attic and take down the seven or eight boxes of Christmas decorations. Normally, this is something my roommate and I would do or she and her dad would do together if I wasn't home. I made a few trips up and down the ladder while my cats watched. Then, I had this brilliant idea to bring the Christmas tree into the house-while it was still in the stand. First, with my hand (because a cup wouldn't fit), I scooped out as much water as I could so as not to spill water onto my carpet in the middle of the move. I pushed the tree onto a beach towel so that I could drag it in the house from the porch and after probably 40 minutes and several fallen needles later, I had the tree centered and in the right place. It took me nearly an hour to suck up all of the needles with my vacuum cleaner-unclog, vacuum, unclog, dump canister, vacuum and repeat the process. I thought that this would be enough of a surprise for my roommate-I mean, I had gotten the bulk of the work done and then when she'd come home, we could decorate it.
For whatever reason, I decided that leaving the tree in its stand, with the decorations nearby wasn't enough. Nope. I decided to put the lights on. Instead of stringing them on in the traditional manner, I went online to learn the best technique. Well, that best technique not only took me two hours to light up a six foot tree, but my fingers were blackened with tree sap and scratched up from tree branches. And, oh yes, more needles on the floor-read above for the vacuum process.
By the end of the night, I was exhausted. I had worked on Christmas decorations from about 2:45 until almost 10:30. All of this work got me thinking about the Bible verse, Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and not another to lift him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Yesterday would have been one of those times where I could share half of the workload if my husband was there to help out.
While I wasn't sad, nor did I wallow for my lack of a marriage partner, it was a good reminder for me to keep praying that God would provide a husband. When you're accustomed to doing most things by yourself, you just make do. When there are two women living in a house, there aren't roles for each to fulfill-you do them yourself, call a dad or brother-in-law or you pay someone to make household improvements. Two years ago, I needed a new toilet. So, Megan and I went to Home Depot and I bought a new toilet. We practically had to "roll" the box upstairs because it weighed nearly three hundred pounds. Then, it took us all day to install the toilet-if one of us was a male, I think that toilet would've been installed in less than half the time.
I know that I've talked about the company and love of a husband in the past, but this weekend made me realize that single women are really limited in their physical abilities. I'm guessing that single men are limited in their hospitality and cooking abilities as well. Both the single genders can manage on their own, but how wonderful is it that God created two human beings to complement each other?
However, marriage is not the be all and end all for human beings because we are all in need of a savior. As I pined for a husband in my 20s, God has made it perfectly clear to me that all I need is Christ. Yes, I still can't lift a tree upstairs without some kind of help but it is Jesus who will save my soul from eternal damnation. It is Jesus who makes me whole. It is Jesus who cleanses me from all unrighteousness. It is Jesus who loves me unconditionally even when I continue to sin each day.
In Christ alone, I must place my trust. Yes, it would be great to be married but if you don't have Christ, you can still be lonely in a marriage. Even if I was married, my allegiance is to Christ and my worship is Him alone. My marriage should complement my life in Christ and not the other way around. God created marriage to bring Him glory. If my husband and I can't bring Him glory, then I'd rather be single.
And, as long as I am single, I will continue to worship, serve and bring Him glory even if it means lugging a tree into my house, replacing a kitchen sink, taking out the garbage, fixing my doorbell, replacing my toilet or changing my air filter in my car by myself.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.For God will bring every deed into judgment, withc every secret thing, whether good or evil-Ecclesiastes 12:13
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul-Deuteronomy 10:12
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might-Deuteronomy 6:5
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?-Micah 6:8
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!-Psalm 111:10
Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.-I Samuel 12:24
I can do all things through him who strengthens me-Philippians 4:13
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service-I Timothy 1:12
Hallelujah, all I have is Christ!---check out Sovereign Grace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9FiMNON9v0
No comments:
Post a Comment