“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1:27 NIV
This verse popped out at me today, reminding me that there are right ways to behave, even in unpleasant circumstances. When Paul uttered those words, he was talking about persecution and trouble that often comes upon the church of Christ. But the two little words “whatever happens” are pretty broad and can be applied to anything that falls under that “whatever” heading.
That probably includes house remodeling. Of course, whenever you have a job that involves people, that is, people besides yourself, you run the risk of glitches. Even if you are depending on yourself alone, there is always the chance of getting sick or being interrupted by something in life. As I sit here waiting for the carpet people to show up, I am more aware of those “whatever” moments.
We spent the weekend painting. After dealing with Randy’s medical tests Friday morning, I spent the rest of the day moving small pieces of furniture and too much clutter. We were supposed to attend a Christmas party that night, but he still wasn’t feeling good, so we had to cancel. I spent the evening cutting in with the lightest paint color on the dining room walls and ceiling. (We did the room in three shades of tan and brown.)
By Saturday morning, I did not want to get out of bed. I’m not sure what it was, but after all the work we did on the family room, I was dreading the work on the rest of the rooms. But Saturday arrived anyway, and I dragged myself out of bed, donned my paint clothes, and got to work. I cut in the upstairs hall and helped with the stairwell, which took hours longer than I expected. We stopped for another Christmas party, which we were late to, but were glad we went. We figured there wasn’t much left to finish Sunday afternoon.
I should mention that I am not good at estimating time for projects I’ve never tackled. As it turned out, we worked from 2 p.m. (after church and lunch) until past eleven at night before I could crawl into bed. But we finished! I went to sleep anticipating seeing the project finished today…
They were supposed to be here between 9 and 11 a.m. It is now 2 p.m. and I am still waiting. The guy doing the moldings was also supposed to be here, after the carpet guys finished. Both of them called to say they had truck problems. (In Michigan and cold weather, this is not unusual – at least that’s what I’m telling myself.) So…the carpet guys are still supposed to come, but probably closer to 4 p.m. The guy doing the moldings will hopefully be here tomorrow.
To say I’m disappointed would be true. Disappointed and exhausted and probably a little emotional. But I’ve also had some time alone with God and that is always a good thing. So after He listened to my frustrations, I figured I should listen to Him in His Word, where I found the above verse.
“Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
I suppose that means having a good attitude (minus the grumpiness) even when things go wrong, or schedules don’t match up, or people let us down, or work isn’t done on time…And it probably also means not getting on the phone with the store and yelling at them, demanding they do something. And I’m pretty sure it means being kind and understanding and having the same attitude Jesus took when He came to earth and still takes when He deals with me. Merciful, gracious, loving…lacking selfishness and pride. He would want me to take the form of a servant, like He did.
In whatever happens. Even if I don’t like it. Sigh.
That probably includes house remodeling…
Selah~
