Guest Blog-Nice Things by Krisette Cole

I love my house.

Every day I wake up, and it is a blessing to step out onto the floor from my bed.  You see, from 2011-2016 our family was in a time of transition, and we had some very unusual sleeping arrangements from time to time. In my most recent memory, my husband and I finally caved in and purchased a mattress after getting fed up with inflating an air mattress in the middle of the night for months at a time.  Imagine the fantastic night of sleep after moving into this home and building our massive, four-poster bed complete with canopy and a beach themed master bedroom.

The days spent in small spaces and unusual sleeping arrangements weren’t always convenient. But our family grew in ways that set a foundation for positive relationships for decades to come.  As gratifying as that is, it wasn’t the best part. The best part was the daily leading of our Lord.

There was a special allocation of grace given to us during those five years.  It wasn’t just that God was good to us.  The overwhelming goodness that I’m talking about meant that we audibly, tangibly, moment by moment walked with the Lord.  Upon first arriving in Dallas, the seven of us stayed in a hotel room with a single bed because that is all that the unemployment we were living on could afford. There were days that we paid literally by the day. Then it transitioned into a time when we could knock out a whole week at a time.  Jobs came in, life took a turn, I was accepted to Bible college, onto campus we moved, and our last blessing made us a crew of eight.

We cheerfully moved into a three bedroom, second-floor apartment in less than stellar condition. “Bless the Lord!” We thought “It wasn’t a hotel!” Many nights, in between our one income household’s checks, we would come home to cash slid underneath our door or new furniture purchase by neighbors for an apartment that held nothing but love.

And as much as I adore this home that we live in now, it occurs to me that there is something that can become quite lost when life “gets back to normal.” That when the Lord has given you permission to move back out of “the bubble” of life walked hand in hand steadily with Him, He also gives you permission and a choice.  The choice? To take a few steps backward or run forward towards the prize.

Tonight, my husband took the kids on a quick errand so that I could have a moment of solace after working and homeschooling – both only mildly successfully today. There was a sense that something could be slipping away.  As I washed dishes and folded laundry, I heard an audible voice say, “See? This is why we can’t have nice things…” in the tone of a mother but with the voice of a Father. The same kind of tone that you have when your 4-year-old has applied a magic marker to that brand new area rug. In that moment I knew. I knew that God was pointing out something that I had already feared was creeping in. Complacency.

As we journey forward from the place that God takes us to dwell, abide, and break through obstacles; we must be aware that there are temptations to forget the season of pain and breaking quickly.  There are temptations to solely focus on the season of rebuilding, prosperity, and ease.  Sure, the Lord wishes for us to enjoy these seasons of plenty! In fact, I believe that He relishes with pride that we have completed the task that He set before us.  However, it is a mistake to misapply His goodness and cast the learned lessons aside only to revisit them in the next cycle of life. Perpetually spinning our wheels until decades of life have passed us by. We must be better stewards than that! We must be keepers of that which He entrusts us with and not merely partakers of His goodness.

So, if you find yourself falling into a spiritual rut, if there is the potential that you are the Lord could be passing like two ships in the night, then heed these straightforward instructions.

1. Be intentional.  Don’t wait for a crisis to run to the Lord.  Do what you did during the hard season.  Stay close to His feet.

2. Consume His Word. One day you will look up, and you will be empty of the source that you need to push on. Stay filled up.

3. Worship. His presence truly is heaven on earth. Many times, when I could not find the words to pray, our worship was all that God required.

4. Don’t let up. Seek Him, and you shall find Him! A toddler freshly weaned, seeking security, reaches for his mother’s lap. He is just as loved and cared for from that new position as he was at her breast. So it is with our Heavenly Father.

5. Find accountability.  You are not in this alone.  Find a partner in your spouse, at your small group or even your older children! (It’s a perfect time to show them real life Christianity.)

Praying blessings over you as you wade through these waters.  We can do it.

With His help.

Bio:  Krisette Cole has been married to the love of her life for 11 years and they are blessed with 6 children. A homeschool mom that juggles her work at home 9-5, Krisette also writes for the Strong Marriages Matter blog and leads the Strong Marriages Matter Facebook community alongside her husband Calvin.  SMM offers prayer and encouragement for counter-cultural, classically married Christian couples & families seeking God’s best for their lives! Recently published as an editor for the book NewlyWed Confidential (found on Amazon.com) Krisette enjoys lifting up women with her words and the edification of the Lord.  Connect Krisette and Calvin at  https://www.facebook.com/strongmarriagesmatter/ 0r www.strongmarriagesmatter.com .