Under Construction

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

When we bought our house in 2020, we knew the yard would need to be addressed… eventually. It was a “good enough for now” little yard, small and square, easy to manage, but bland and lacking any privacy, landscaping, or designated space for outdoor eating.

This was the year we finally decided to be proactive about sprucing things up. After months of looking at various plans, talking with landscapers, and hemming and hawing over every possibility, we felt confident enough to proceed.

The dream team we hired came early Saturday morning, ready to tear things up and start the transformation. It was exciting to see the trucks and equipment arrive and witness the breaking of ground on this beautification project we’d longed for a long while.

After hours of hard work, our landscapers packed things up and left, assuring us they’d return the following weekend. Surveying the aftermath of their efforts, I was a bit taken aback by all the destruction. Our once simple but tidy patch of grass is now an eyesore of mounded dirt and gravel.

Admittedly, it’s difficult to imagine pleasant evenings dining alfresco with friends when our current reality looks and feels like a big old mess. I just keep holding to the promises we were given that something ever so lovely will emerge from this chaos.  

You probably know where I am going with this. Honestly, I was grateful for the reminder. Whether it’s a goal you are trying to achieve, a wound that needs healing, a trial that feels heavy and confounding, or an unpredictable event unfolding, it is easy to become discouraged by “the messy middle.”  

If I didn’t have faith, I would be alarmed by all the upheaval, moaning over what feels like a new permanent state of ugliness and unrest. But I do believe, and fostering that belief protects me from catastrophizing. Faith trusts the process, remaining calm, grateful, and hopeful, knowing the end will be worth the means.