{Almost} Drowning In Mud

"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure...But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..."

2 Corinthians 1:8-9

I'm not a fan of hanging out during those DIY house projects, especially the ones that involve demolition, rewiring, or digging large holes. I'm a supportive wife, really I am. I willingly roll up my sleeves and work alongside my husband from beginning to end in many instances, but when I know he's tackling something outside his comfort zone, I try and escape until it's done.

Friday was one of those days, so I went shopping.

My husband and his contractor friend were simply demo-ing our dilapidated, 75-year-old, shed-turned-pool-house. Grateful for the skilled help, I breathed a bit easier and confidently left them to their work while I escaped for a couple of hours of shopping therapy.

An hour later, heading into the last grocery store, my cell phone rang. My husband's desperate voice met me on the other end asking, "Where's the duct tape? I'm all alone now, covered in mud, I can't stop the water, and I'm drowning in the wet niche!"

My feet stopped short but my mind raced ahead trying to picture this whole scene. First of all, I don't use the duct tape, so it's wherever he left it? Secondly, why was he covered in mud? Thirdly, what the heck is a wet niche and why was he drowning in it?" I thought he was just knocking down walls. Where did the water come from?! (The short answer? They snapped the conduit for our pool's underwater spotlight-the infamous wet niche-which was attached to the shed. Gravity forced pool water through the broken conduit and it could potentially empty 2k-3k gallons of water into our yard and those of our surrounding neighbors. But thankfully, it was a steady leak not a geyser-gushing water spout.)

Quickly assessing that this situation was beyond my expertise, I arrived home forty-five minutes later hoping the problem resolved itself. But, there he was, face-down in mud, shaking, exhausted, and totally discouraged. As a professional, intelligent problem solver, he knew exactly how to fix this broken conduit, if only he could stop the relentless river of water. His one brief call to the pool company got him nowhere. Their advice? "Stop the water from running and we'll be out sometime next week."

I slipped inside to call our plumber only to hear he had no clue how to stop this muddy river, either. The clock ticked past 3:45 pm. Fifteen minutes before the weekend began, so I made one more desperate plea to the pool company. Their repairman "happened" to be working close by and would swing over before he clocked out for the day. Whew! Thank you, Lord.

Returning pool-side I found my husband sitting quietly in a deck chair and the abandoned wet niche steadily spewing water into a hole two feet wide and one foot deep. "What made you abandon the mud hole?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't know how to stop the water. It's beyond me, so I decided to walk away. There's nothing more I can do."

Paul faced many horrible situations throughout his ministry, well beyond his abilities . (Some he admitted, he'd rather have died than endure.) But, says Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:9, "this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God..." and v. 10 "On {God} we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us...." 

These wise words were far from my lips, but at least my mustard seed faith allowed me to swallow my own pride and worry and speak this, "God loves us and knows our situation, right? He knows this is beyond our ability and it's stretching us financially, so let's trust God to handle this, okay? There's nothing more we can do. "

And isn't that exactly where God wants us - totally dependent on him? Oh yes, because it's only when we're helpless, at the end of our resources that God's glory shines bright.

Praise God, within an hour (late on a Friday afternoon, which is a miracle), the pool company easily mended our wet niche and minimally charged us for the repair (about one week's groceries).

Have you ever faced situations beyond your abilities where God intervened? Won't you encourage us, help build our faith and share below how God showed up?

Heavenly Father, forgive us of pride and self reliance. When situations arise beyond our control (no matter how small or insurmountable), when we feel like we're drowning in mud, may we remember to rely on you--the One who supplies all of our needs according to your GREAT riches in heaven. To you be all glory and power. Amen.