OVERWHELMED!

When last I wrote, I only had to strip and paint the master bedroom and its bath before taking a break from my wallpaper eradication project, so I forged ahead. I stripped about two thirds of one bedroom wall and then … quit.

Three weeks passed. The unwashed wall looked terrible, but I didn’t care. Just the thought of working in the bedroom overwhelmed me. My energy level plummeted. I knew that I wasn’t being rational. I had never felt overwhelmed by any of my projects before … so why was I suddenly stalled when I was so close to being finished with this one?

Pat and I decided that we both needed a break. We had had two close family members die within weeks of each other. Mother’s care was a constant responsibility. I had been working on the house practically nonstop. We were both emotionally drained and I was physically exhausted, so taking a break to go camping seemed to make perfect sense.

We picked a favorite spot. We made our plans. And then I couldn’t go through with them! I told Pat that I couldn’t face coming back to that unfinished bedroom. What I really needed to do was to take a week off from work, stay home, and make myself finish it!

We compromised by taking the RV out to a nearby beachfront park. After spending some time watching water, clouds, and wildlife, I gave myself a pep talk, got in my car, drove back to town, gathered all of my supplies, and got two sections of wallpaper stripped before becoming overwhelmed again!

I felt drained. I slumped down on the bed and said, “Okay Lord, what is going on here? Why can’t I make myself finish this room? The only thing I have left to do after it is the bathroom!” And then I stopped. There was my answer! My problem wasn’t the bedroom … it was the bathroom!! I was going to have to kill mold, repair the ceiling, strip off two layers of wallpaper, remove and paint the cabinets, reseal the shower, etc, etc. There was so much work to be done in that one room that I had made the conscious decision not to even think about the bathroom until I finished the bedroom. Apparently my subconscious hadn’t got the message!!

I immediately shifted my focus from the bedroom to the bathroom. I took down the cabinets and stripped off the hardware. Pat removed the toilet tank. Kate helped me get started on the wallpaper. And when I began to think unkind thoughts about the former owner as I uncovered holes, molly bolts, and gouges under that bottom layer of wallpaper, the Lord prompted me to pray for her.

I spent a lot of time praying for a woman whom I had never met, but the work became less onerous. My energy and enthusiasm returned, and I finished the bathroom a week after I began. Pat and I even went shopping for new artwork together. (Yes, we have artwork in our bathrooms.) And then I got two bedroom walls stripped before my steamer burned out. But that’s another story.

What about you? Are you feeling overwhelmed these days? Have you asked God to help you pinpoint the real problem? Have you listened until you got His answer? Have you acted on it? Why not??

Pastor Kit

Four Lessons From The Fog

Several weeks ago Whidbey Island was blanketed by fog. The days were dark, damp, dreary and COLD. My wind chimes hung in the still air ... silent. My kitchen window view of the distant mountains, nearby islands, and local harbor ... gone. As the days passed with the fog lingering, I prayed. It seemed to me that the fog was a metaphor for so much that was going in my life. As I prayed, God began to teach me that there are lessons to be learned in coping with fog. Lessons to remember and to apply when we find ourselves in a spiritual fog. My lessons began with someone else’s story...

After a board meeting at church one night, Danny Horton told Pat and me about a time that he had to drive across west Texas. The sun had long set, and fog had formed. He said that it got so foggy that he had to open up his car door just to see the lines painted on the highway! He realized that the safest option he had would be to pull off the pavement as far as he could and wait for the fog to dissipate. To continue driving would put himself, his wife, their daughter, and others at risk. It wasn’t comfortable to spend the night by the side of the road, but at least Danny and his family were safe until the sun rose and the fog lifted. Lesson #1: When you can’t see the road in front of you, get to a safe place and wait for the fog to lift. Don’t put yourself and others at risk.

Danny’s story reminded me of the time that I was walking on an inland path along west beach one evening just before sunset. I was at least a half a mile away from the car when suddenly, fog rolled in. It was so dense that it was disorienting … even frightening! Familiar landmarks were swallowed up by the mist. I had to remind myself that the beach was still only a couple of hundred yards off to my right and that the wetlands were still on my left – even if I couldn’t see them. The most important thing was that I could still see the path in front of me … and that was all that I needed to get me back to the parking lot. Lesson # 2: When lost in a fog, focus on following the trusted path in front of you. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted, overwhelmed or frightened by fog-shrouded phantoms.

The dreary fog limited the views on my frequent walks at the local state park. The eagles, owls, hawks and herons were missing. The chatty wetland birds were eerily quiet. I thought that there surely must be some wildlife somewhere so I slowed my pace, watching for movement in the underbrush along the trail. Soon I discovered an abundance of small birds silently flitting about in search of their daily food. My customary brisk pace and distant focus had caused me to overlook these small silent creatures that were very close at hand. Lesson # 3: When fog limits your vision, slow down and observe your immediate surroundings. You may discover that you have been overlooking a silent blessing that is very close at hand!

About a week after the fog had settled in, I stood at my kitchen window and watched a glorious CLEAR sunrise. My familiar view of the local harbor was back! Suddenly I realized that I was seeing more than just nearby Camano Island … looming in the distance was Mt. Rainier—at least 110 miles away! Lesson # 4: Fog is temporary. Clarity will return, sometimes with added insights that wouldn’t have been noticed (or appreciated) had it not been for the prolonged period of dreary fog.

Pastor Kit