The Story of a Window

When I first started the process of getting licensed to become a foster parent I learned about the window. South Carolina law says that the window opening in the foster kid’s bedroom has to be a certain size. I learned right away that my window was too small by a couple inches, and it would have to be replaced by an egress window. So in June I contacted a couple places and got estimates for a replacement window.

Being new to home ownership and the joys of “fixing” things (like a perfectly good window), I blithely entered the process thinking that in about a month (Julyish) I would have this item checked of the list.

After a couple delays the window was ordered and set to arrive in Greenville the first week of August. Surely, the job would quickly be finished.  The man who came to install my shiny new window took one look at the current window and informed me that there was absolutely no way the window he brought would be able to fit. That’s right. The custom made and carefully ordered window was about two inches too wide.  And so a new window was ordered.

Last Wednesday I happily received a call saying the second window had arrived and we arranged to have it installed the very next day. Full of hope I rushed home from school ready to welcome the window installers and finally have the job finished. Unhappily, I received a phone call saying the installer had a family issue come up and would not be able to come. And so I rescheduled.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I once again rushed home still optimistically believing that I would finally have a new window in a short time. An hour after the time for the installation to take place had passed, the installer called and asked if the window was at my house. (Yes! This really happened.) I informed him that there was no window here at my house. “Well, they are looking for it” he told me. Twenty minutes later he called to let me know they had found it. Long story short….we rescheduled for the next morning.

My wonderful and supportive parents agreed to come to my house Wednesday morning to let the installer in. It was finally really going to happen. The window was here and ready to go in. The installer was here and ready to do the job. What could possibly go wrong?

While my kids were in Spanish class I quickly checked my phone and saw a message from mom. This could be good or bad news because my mom ALWAYS leaves a message. Even if her message is only to say she called, there is a message. At this point my optimistic and positive attitude was quite shaken and I had very little hope that it would be actual good news. The friendly installer was not able to install the window because my wall is full of yellow jackets. That’s right. Bees. Lots and lots of bees.

So now, at 9:30 in the evening, when the weak eyed and hopefully sleepy yellow jackets are resting peacefully in my wall, my dad is getting ready to go to war for me. He has drilled a hole (well more like five holes) into my beautiful new green paint. And now he is working on spraying some kind of death spray into the wall.

Will it work? Maybe. Maybe not. I might be calling my pest guys tomorrow and spending more money than I want to on bee removal. How do I keep my sanity in the midst of it? When my plan is shattered and nothing has worked out like I expected, what do I do? 

I REMEMBER His truths and His promises. I remember that it is not really my timeline. It is His. It’s not really my house. It is His. It is not my money. It all belongs to Him. It is not about me. It is about Him. My desire is that He would be more and I would be less. And my purpose is for HIM to be glorified.

So I take a deep breath. And I ask for a little more grace and a little more faith, and a little more understanding of who He is. And I know the window will be installed in His perfect timing.

Psalm 31:14-15(NASB)

¹⁴ But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,

I say, “You are my God.”

¹⁵ My times are in Your hand;

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.

Psalm 46:10 (NASB)

¹⁰ “Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the ^[b]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”