Denton County Living Well Magazine March/April 2019 | Page 20

A PROCESS TO THE PROMISE
W
By Michelle Wallace
e recently remodeled a
large house. The home
had been vacant for a
few years and there was
a lot of differed maintenance. None
of the kitchen appliances worked. The
water heaters were leaking. The home
was in desperate need of updates.
However, the house had been staged
to appear in better shape. When we
peeled back the layers, there was
even more work to be done. But isn’t
that always the case in home renos?
Isn’t that always the way it is in life?
I find the symbolism used in the Bible both fascinating and
sometimes funny. Proverbs 24: 3,4 says, “By wisdom a
house is built, and by understanding it is established; by
knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleas-
ant riches.” In spiritual terms this is saying, there’s a pro-
cess. I’m going to be really honest with you, I’m not very
patient. I’m not patient in spiritual progression any more
than I am in natural progression.
Our house should have been finished in a few months. The
home is large, we remodeled everything but the master. We
decided to save that for last and live in there while we re-
modeled. I don’t advise this for anyone. The dust and paint
fumes make their way through the air vents. Eating take
out every night gets old. But, it’s only a few months, right?
Between issues with contractors and additional work it went
on for almost five months and cost several thousand dol-
lars more than we expected. Also, during this time we had
several other struggles and various trials come up. I wasn’t
able to sleep very well. One night when I was crying out to
God for some relief He brought me to the words from He-
brews 10:36, “You have need of endurance, so that when
you have done the will of God, you may receive what was
promised.” “WHAT?! I have need of endurance,” I thought.
This has been a season of war for so many people I know.
Full on assault! And like me, many have grown weary. So,
I’d like to write a word to encourage the faint of heart.
There is a time for war and a time for peace. There is a time
for endurance and a time to receive the promise. I liken it
to being pregnant. Even if you’re a man you have watched
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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2019
women struggle with changes that come during pregnancy.
There is stretching, there is a preparation that comes to get
ready to bring new life in the world. And pregnancy can
be painful, especially in the third trimester. But there is a
baby to look forward to. There comes the day of transition
where you go from being pregnant to holding the promise.
The recent Super Bowl was interesting. It was a low scoring
game. Many said it was a little boring. But I can assure you
there was an intense process and preparation to the prom-
ise. The final score was 13 to 3. Some people are tired