When 10 plus 7 equals some chaos and a whole lot of fun

  When we’re living our faith, we’re on the right station. There is clarity of thought and action. We are doing the right thing because it’s clear – dare I say easy?

However, just like traveling out of tower range, our life’s journey can move us out of range. It could be experiencing someone else’s growth struggle; it could be a trigger from past trauma; or it could be refining a virtue in our own lives. Regardless the reason, sometimes we need to adjust the signal to hear God’s voice.

When I’m on the right channel, I realize everything we “own” is a gift from God, and I seek opportunities to share my blessings with others.

Recently, a friend of mine expressed a need for temporary housing during an upcoming visit. Knowing my husband would be on board, I offered our house (Amos 3:3, “Do two journey together unless they have agreed?”). As a married couple, this is a collective “I.”  

I knew God would work out the logistics of our family of seven hosting an additional family of 10! My friend and her husband have eight children under the age of 11, including two sets of twins under age 3.

And, we had only 48 hours to prepare the house. Did I mention I was going out of town four hours after I said yes?

I often share how I rely on my support system. In this case, my college-age children were out of town, so I had my three younger children, my mother and a close friend, helping ready the house in my absence – saying yes to God as a family.

When not in tune, it’s easy to become selfish and overthink in a way that talks you out of living the virtues of, gratitude, generosity, courage, faithfulness and compassion. In this case, I could have thought it would be an inconvenience to add a family of 10 to my family of seven.
Where would everyone sleep? What about food? How would we fill the time during one of the hottest summers on record? Instead of focusing on what I could not control, I focused on what I could.
God blessed us with a big, beautiful house that I could share with a friend in need. The pieces fell in place. One son had already returned to college, so we had an empty bedroom. We added an air mattress and made space to accommodate the twins’ double bassinet. Another room was cleared to accommodate the four older children. We created a meal plan, and my friend incorporated visiting other friends and family throughout the week to provide some down time for us as well. We reviewed schedules and needs to sync our expectations.
  ou can lose the radio station as you move between towers. Sometimes, you pick up a completely different station on the same channel; other times, you must adjust the knob to select a new station.
When we’re living our faith, we’re on the right station. There is clarity of thought and action. We are doing the right thing because it’s clear – dare I say easy?
However, just like traveling out of tower range, our life’s journey can move us out of range. It could be experiencing someone else’s growth struggle; it could be a trigger from past trauma; or it could be refining a virtue in our own lives. Regardless the reason, sometimes we need to adjust the signal to hear God’s voice.
When I’m on the right channel, I realize everything we “own” is a gift from God, and I seek opportunities to share my blessings with others.
Recently, a friend of mine expressed a need for temporary housing during an upcoming visit. Knowing my husband would be on board, I offered our house (Amos 3:3, “Do two journey together unless they have agreed?”). As a married couple, this is a collective “I.”  
I knew God would work out the logistics of our family of seven hosting an additional family of 10! My friend and her husband have eight children under the age of 11, including two sets of twins under age 3.
 And, we had only 48 hours to prepare the house. Did I mention I was going out of town four hours after I said yes?
I often share how I rely on my support system. In this case, my college-age children were out of town, so I had my three younger children, my mother and a close friend, helping ready the house in my absence – saying yes to God as a family.
When not in tune, it’s easy to become selfish and overthink in a way that talks you out of living the virtues of, gratitude, generosity, courage, faithfulness and compassion. In this case, I could have thought it would be an inconvenience to add a family of 10 to my family of seven.
Where would everyone sleep? What about food? How would we fill the time during one of the hottest summers on record? Instead of focusing on what I could not control, I focused on what I could.
God blessed us with a big, beautiful house that I could share with a friend in need. The pieces fell in place. One son had already returned to college, so we had an empty bedroom. We added an air mattress and made space to accommodate the twins’ double bassinet. Another room was cleared to accommodate the four older children. We created a meal plan, and my friend incorporated visiting other friends and family throughout the week to provide some down time for us as well. We reviewed schedules and needs to sync our expectations.