Lessons from Boilers

On October 24^th our boiler died. Saturday December 12^th, the last of the work was completed on our new system. That is 7 full weeks without heat or hot water. But in that time the following things happened:

God provided.

He provided through the generosity of two families about 1 ½ cords of wood for heating the house with our woodstove and fireplaces.
He provided an introduction through another friend to the owner of the company who ended up installing our new system.
He provided (through the same friend) access to a temporary electric water heater which he and a master plumber friend of his set up at no charge so that we had hot water for showers and sinks.
He provided through other friends some space heaters for the girls’ bedrooms upstairs, and to keep the pets warm.
He provided temperatures well above average during that 7 week stretch, and there were no snow or ice storms. In fact, on Saturday when everything was finished it was a very unseasonably warm 60 degrees.

We were thankful for what God had already provided…

Our wonderful old home which had been built in 1780….it was designed to be heated by fireplace and we were able to keep our living space very comfortable.
My job which was flexible enough for me to work from home and so keep the wood stove and fires going.
An indoor hot tub so there was always a good warm soak whenever you wanted it.

I’m not saying it was all unicorns and rainbows for that seven weeks. That would be a lie. The same day the boiler went, my daughter went back into the hospital for severe depression and anxiety again. This whole process was “supposed to” only be about two weeks from start to finish…nothing went according to plan.

Troubles, challenges, and unforeseen circumstances are some of the few things in life that you can count on. But it is also true that you can count on God’s grace in this life. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the mess of life that we miss what God is doing in it.

How has God been showing you grace lately? I’d love to hear.