Windows

Five years ago, my grandmother and I began discussing the replacing of the windows in her house.  Then she had an automobile accident, and the project went on hold.

This past spring, she approached me again, and we began planning a course of action for the job.  The question that must be determined in a window job is whether to use replacement windows or to replace the complete unit with new construction windows.  Replacement windows are cheaper and easier to install.  Replacing the entire window unit is laborious, more costly, but usually results in a better looking job.

I knew my grandmother would lean on me to make the decision for her.  While cost was not a great concern, nevertheless I did estimates based on both options, pricing 4 different brands of windows.  There were many factors to consider.  If we used replacement windows, the outsides of the old frames would need to be wrapped in aluminum.  Some of the wood would even need to be replaced before that could take place.  The nice thing about replacement windows is that you get them made to the exact dimensions of your opening.  With new construction windows, you must choose the closest sized window which will fit your existing opening.  Then there was the issue of one big window which was currently stained wood on the inside.  We preferred to have a wood colored window in its place, which is problematic with vinyl replacement windows.  A wood-look vinyl is available, but not the most gorgeous thing.  Oh, and then there was the issue that chaos and disruption to her home may drive my grandmother to a nervous breakdown.  Replacement windows would be infinitely easier on her nerves.

After considering these issues for a few weeks, or months, I recommended that we use new construction windows.  She elected to take my advice, and mid summer, I placed the order.

By about the second day of working, I was wondering about the wisdom of my decision.  I had guessed that the job would take about nine days.  By the twelfth day, I was still not completely convinced I had done the right thing.

Then one morning I read Our Daily Bread.  Julie Ackerman Link wrote "Whenever we set out to do something good, even when we're certain that God wants us to do it, we shouldn't be surprised when the situation gets worse before it gets better.  This doesn't prove that we're doing the wrong thing:  it just reminds us that we need God to accomplish everything." 

Now I'm not claiming that God told me to use new construction windows. But this encouragement was what I needed to hear.  I was judging the wisdom of my decision based on the ease of the job.  I knew better that this, but apparently needed to be reminded.  From that point on, all the way to the completion of the job on the 14th day, I rested in the decision I had made.  There was so much more God wanted to do than put new windows in my grandmother's house.

My grandmother was happy.  And I learned something, again.

Being Nice

I have a friend who likes to rant and rave with me (in a civil sort of way) about various problems we see in our world.  We were exchanging texts, and began to dabble in a familiar topic which annoys us.  I sent the text "We are going to be nice today" in an attempt to re-direct our conversation.

There was a hesitation.  The friend texted back "Tomorrow, can I be myself again?"

Classic.

Picking Out a Shirt

Probably everyone knows at least one man who can’t dress himself well.  These men have no sense of color coordination, and their wives tell stories of mismatched socks, stripes paired with plaids, and ugly ties.  I am not one of those men.

I have excellent color coordinating skills.  However, I do love routine.  A couple of pairs of pants with matching shirts is all the wardrobe I need.  I had been wearing the same short sleeved buttoned shirts for a long time, and finally asked my wife to pick up a few new ones from the thrift store for me.  She came home with fifteen.  I picked out a dozen that I liked, and gave the rest away.

It is hard to make a routine out of a dozen shirts.  The trick is to pick out a couple of favorites, and ignore the fact the rest are there.  But one Sunday morning, the oddest feeling came over me.  I looked at my dozen shirts and thought “I don’t want to be in a rut of wearing the same shirts all the time”.  So I asked my wife to pick out a shirt for me to wear.

I wore my shirt to our Sunday gathering with the satisfaction I was not it a rut that day.  The good part about it was that I actually liked the shirt she selected.  I felt no loss from having relinquished the decision of how to dress that day.  It actually freed me from the nuisance of standing in front of my twelve shirts debating which one to wear.

If only I had someone to lead me in routine decisions throughout the week, someone who would keep me out of a rut, someone who would free my mind up from tedious choices that bog down my day.

If only I had someone who would always make the perfect choice, someone who knew how those around me would respond to the choice I had made. 

If only I could relinquish those choices as quickly and easily as I did that Sunday morning. 

If only I could come to the place where I really didn’t have a burning preference as to which choice was made, but would be deeply content with that someone’s choice in the matter.

If only my preferences and the preferences of this other someone could become so intertwined that I wasn’t sure if we were talking about my preference, or this other someone’s preference.

If only I had someone who would make decisions of life as simple as deferring to my wife the decision about which shirt to wear. 

Oh, but wait.  We do have that Someone.  There is in fact One who dwells within us, Who can do all of those things.  Perhaps He isn’t so much interested in which shirt we wear, but there is much He is interested in, probably more than we know.

Now, if only I had twelve pairs of pants.