Tarrying Trials

This is hard.

Our moment of arriving ‘home’ has been marred by mould.

Literally, damp-induced mould in our basement that means our house is uninhabitable. A pump broke just three weeks ago, and in that space of time, mould has crept up the walls, ruined units, destroyed our things and means that we are, once again, living in other peoples’ houses. Again, we are so so thankful for the kindness and generosity of friends.

Our landlord is more backwards than forwards in taking responsibility, and so we are doubtful as to there being an actual return to that home.

Tarrying trials. Hard times that are going on longer than expected. Disappointment. Frustration. Sadness. And that familiar sense of uncertainty and waiting that has so characterised our last few months.

Learning the same lessons again and again it seems.

And the ‘weeping’ feels like it is tarrying. It feels like these trials are unending. As circumstances have overwhelmed, and that knot of anxiety sits in the stomach, we have to remind ourselves again and again that ‘morning’ will come because we have a good God who is so for us, who so loves us, who is carrying us securely through to the joy of ‘morning’, and eternity.

‘Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning’ (Psalm 30v5)

From the midst of the ‘night’, our circumstances begin to distort our view of God. We begin to doubt His kindness, His unconditional love, His gracious provision. And we wonder why this is happening to us.

But we pray that we would cling to the God to the Bible, not of our twisted thinking. We know Him to be outrageously kind and gracious and good. We know that He does give us new mercies every morning, even when they’re hard to see. We know we are headed for the ‘morning’, even through these trials seem to be tarrying.

Ps. One big mercy is that the garage of books is bone dry, and so there has been much enjoyment of doing ‘jobs’ with Daddy…