The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength

We're in the midst of a garage-building project. We're so thankful for the guys who have come along side and given of their time, talents, and energy to help make this project a reality. The overseer for the whole project is a friend of ours who is a professional builder/carpenter. He's selflessly given of his time and expertise to guide and direct the whole works. The goal was to have the garage completed before the snow flies.

Well, things don't always work out according to our timetable. On the day which was slated to shingle the roof and on which my husband had assembled a whole crew of guys to help, we received our seemingly untimely first snowfall. Now, I don't know much about roofing, but I'm pretty sure snow and ice on a roof do not equate to a productive day of roofing. Despite their inability to roof, though, the guys (aided by my electrician brother-in-law) were able to run all the electric...even in less-than-ideal conditions. What a joy to see these men working together in unity!

Even though the forecast for this week is somewhat bleak, my husband took a day off of work yesterday so that he could shingle the roof. He was out there by 7:30am and, with the exception of coming in for lunch, he remained out there till 5pm. I'd take him a cup of coffee, and as I stepped out our back door for those few moments, I'd be inwardly whining about how stinking cold it was outside. But each time I called up to my husband on the roof, he had a smile on his face. When I asked him how he was doing, he always replied with a joyful, "Great!" I repeatedly returned to the house, incredulously shaking my head. I was so blessed by my husband's attitude and joy through a long day of roofing in the cold.

It may seem like such a small thing to him, but let me tell you, it's huge. His joyful heart set the tone for the whole day. And I know without question that he invested his time of solitude on the garage roof. 'Cause not only was he roofing...I'm confident he was praying and enjoying his time with the Lord.

Our boys saw their dad's hard work and stick-to-it-iveness. They never once heard an impatient or grumbling word cross his lips. They saw in him a man who sees what needs to be done and does it, even when it's not "fun." They saw in him a man who sees projects to the end, even when circumstances would give him a plausible excuse to quit. They saw in him a man who abides in the Lord...who finds his strength in the joy of the Lord.

How grateful I am to be loved by such a man.