Thanksgiving is less than two weeks from today. It’s a smaller crew for us this year–just the four of us and my parents. However, that doesn’t diminish my desire to have my house in order. A few weeks ago I heard a noise in the living room. We live in an older home so at first; I assumed it was the radiators making a noise, or possibly, just the typical creeks an old house makes. The cause of that noise had gone undetected for a few more days. Then one fateful morning as I was heading out the front door, I heard the noise again. I turned my head toward the direction of the sound, and that’s when I discovered it–a leak in the corner of living room ceiling. Apparently, a pipe in the upstairs bathroom decided it had served our house long enough. Who knows how long that pipe’s usefulness had been expired before the water had penetrated the plaster of the ceiling and made its way to the surface of the glass coffee table directly below.

Sometimes, I wish my husband wasn’t so handy around the house. This leak is something he can fix. We will save thousands of dollars by having my husband do the work, but it will take twice as long. My husband has a job-job during the day. So any home repair work has to wait until the weekends. Have I mentioned that Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks?

As with every project in my house, it always turns into something more major! Are house repairs ever quick fixes? Currently, my living room furniture resides in the dining room. I have three large holes in my living room ceiling. Tools, a ladder, dropcloths and items I don’t really know the names of (although they having something to do with repairing holes in plaster) are adorning the front door area of my house. Did I mention that Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks?

However, this leaky pipe mishap has created an opportunity to make some improvements. Since the ceiling is open, my husband has decided it’s the perfect time to add some accent lighting and some crown molding to this room. When it’s all said and done, I know I will be glad the pipe leaked. The messy repair work of this pipe mishap is unpleasant and stressful now, but the end result will be worth it.

As I look at the disarray in my house, I’m reminded of the times that I, too, have been in a state of disarray. I went through painful years of infertility. I experienced my fair share of hurts, disappointments and obstacles while leading a women’s ministry for nine years. And there have been plenty of challenges that have gone along with being a mom. But those moments in my life have all been opportunities God used to make some improvements in me. Of course, those difficulties weren’t pleasant at the time, but the end result brought about spiritual growth, maturity and a deeper faith. I am better off today than I was before those moments of disarray.

Like my living room, sometimes we are under construction too. God’s not finished with us yet. We will experience moments when our life seems far from calm and orderly. During those moments, God often comes in to make some improvements in us. As James says, “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

One day, the work in my living room will be finished. I’m just hoping that “one day” will be before Thanksgiving!