Our never ending story

“Kellye, you do realize just because you have an empty space on the wall, you don’t have to hang a picture there.” Kevin and I spent the summer remodeling our lake house and I kinda got carried away with the decorating. There were days when amazon packages were stacked to the top of our front door. “Kellye, I would like to go one whole day without any amazon boxes at our front door.” “Mom, you are recycling those boxes aren’t you?” I began trying to devise plans on how to sneak in my amazon purchases, but we have ring.com so that didn’t work. I even enlisted my son-in-law and mother-in-law to help sneak in boxes with a notice, “don’t judge me.” I even tried having Fed Ex deliver to their nearest Fed Ex drop point. That didn’t work either. I forgot that I ordered under Kevin’s amazon account, and apparently Fed Ex has this strict rule, “They can only release packages to the person on the delivery address. AND, AND, you need a driver’s license to prove you are that person.” Really. Who came up with that rule?That one click shopping button is a brutal downward spiral. It’s a daily choice not to amazon shop. Instead, I went down the DIY lane. I walk down the rows of Hobby Lobby and think, “Oh Kevin can make that.” And so I get him to DIY a project and I get one more picture hung. TADA no more empty space. Kevin just counted. I have 154 pictures hung in a 1800 square foot house. It’s a lot.

My only defense I can offer, “I like for my walls to tell a story.” This is my living room. I like for this to be the gathering place and for all who enter to feel welcome. I like to state the obvious, “The lake is that way and this is a lake house.”

This is our entry/dining/bedroom fusion. I like for it to remind us to become fishers of men.

This is our guest bedroom. I like it to say, “Come in. Relax. Pretend you are on the North Shore of Waikiki.” We are actually on Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma and the nearest beach is 14 hours away.

This is my grandsons’ bedroom. I want it to remind them that Jesus is our anchor, our light house, our life guard, our rudder, our wheel, our compass, our captain, and our guide. He is a storm chaser, a wave whisper, and an ever present help in times of trouble.

 

This is our bedroom. It reminds me of all I hold dear, my family. I need new pictures of my grandsons because they grow so fast, but I don’t dare discard those pictures. They are the best looking boys I ever knew. It is well with my soul. Then sings my soul. Amazing grace. Grateful. Blessed. The Lord bless you and keep you.

My kitchen/coffee bar. Enough said.

 

I know. I know. It’s a never ending story, kinda like this post.

So what’s my point? I’m like the walls of my lake house. God is writing a story with my life and yours. Our narrative is ongoing. There’s another adventure right around the bend. We are His DIY project. Sometimes we need distressing so that He can paint that perfect topcoat onto our lives. He doesn’t discard old photographs of ourselves because they are another chapter in our book. God fills our house with snap shots of His grace. Each room tells a different story of God’s work in our lives. And sometimes God just has to state the obvious:

“Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father, too. But now you do know him, and you have seen him.””
‭‭John‬ ‭14:1-7‬ ‭NCV‬‬