How to Build on a Firm Foundation
We’re remodeling.
It seems like we have been changing our home since the day we moved in.
We designed and built all the house we could afford. We pinched and scraped to add the things that were the most important to us at the time. Our non-negotiables were an all-brick exterior, three bedrooms, and a main-floor laundry (we’ve always planned for our golden years!)
The first change took place outside. Our new home was nestled in the trees—it was one of the reasons we purchased the lot in the first place. Unfortunately, sharing our outdoor space with the wildlife, including raccoons and mosquitoes, was something we hadn’t considered. We added on to the deck and enclosed the whole area with screen. The breeze still makes its way in, but the critters stay out! It’s by far my favorite part of the house.
As the boys grew older, we finished the basement to give them a space to hang out with their friends. Then we remodeled our nineties style nook & cranny kitchen, complete with three different eating areas, into one wide open space.
Three years ago, we reconfigured our main bedroom and bath to give us a beautiful, quiet space to retreat to at the end of the day. When we moved the bathroom from the picturesque back of the house to the middle, we expanded the space by taking over the neighboring room. This left us with three bedrooms and one bath on the main floor.
Now we’re on to the next phase—dividing one of those initially necessary bedrooms into two spaces to become a bathroom and a new laundry/storage area.
Grateful for a Good Foundation
It’s always fun to imagine what CAN be done with our under-used spaces and it’s satisfying to know it’s almost complete. We’ve pushed the structure limits on more than one occasion, but because our house was built on a good foundation, it has always worked out.
It struck me today that our lives are the same.
God made us in his image—creating us perfectly for the people and place we would be delivered to at the time of our birth. He gave us the personality and skill set to survive and hopefully, in the right circumstances, thrive.
We are masterpieces of a God who promises an unfailing foundation. All we have to do is believe in the gift that He has given us—the love and grace of His son, Jesus Christ.
He knew even at the moment of your birth you had the potential to change and grow—to reimagine what your life could look like. He knew you would make trendy mistakes and choices that would weaken the structure, despite the foundation you’d been given.
He provided space in your heart to store the treasures and room in your mind to learn to become anything you wanted to be.
Grateful for Choice
We may have been designed with His purpose in mind but being the good and gracious God that He is, He allows us to decide how to fulfill our call.
Isn’t that a wonderful thing?
What could you change? Where could you go? Who could you help?
Isn’t it fun to imagine what COULD become of our beautiful, precious lives?
A Prayer When You Can’t See Your Own Potential
Oh, gracious God,
You are so good. You know when we struggle to see the potential in ourselves. You provide when we have not prepared and gently lead us to the opportunities we do not see. Open our eyes and our hearts to the ability within us to learn, love and fulfill your purpose in our life work. Use our words to plant the seed in another, allowing her to consider her own call.
Amen.
Meet Kim Mosiman
Kim Mosiman lives in Ames, Iowa with her husband, Jeff. She has two adult sons, who are married and starting families of their own. She retired from her full-time work early in life to travel, write and perfect her role as NaNa!
Kim’s desire is to help women discover a life FULL of joy, even when they are working towards change. She is a nutritionist, a wellness coach and a Go + Tell Gals certified coach.
She released her first book, Reflections of Joy: Learning to Love the Woman You See While Becoming the One You’re Meant to Be, in May. She recently co-founded an online coaching business, Writer-to-Writer, to fulfill her dream of helping new authors get their words out into the world.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
