A Tenderly Merciful Chicken

(aka: a tender mercy with chicken)

We dropped the price of our house just after Christmas and this has brought a renewed interest and some ups and downs. Every time the phone rings (especially when my phone chimes to announce an incoming text message) my heart simultaneously cheers and panics.  Is it our agent calling?  Do I need to have this messy house clean in an hour for a showing?  Has someone made another low ball offer (we have had two in two weeks)? 

Much of last week and on into Monday I  was feeling particularly down.  Was our house ever going to sell?  Where were we supposed to go?  Why couldn't I get the direction and answers I was praying for?

Monday afternoon my mother-in-law called with some kind words that renewed my hope and faith.  I spent all day Tuesday pushing thoughts of doubt and concern from my mind.  The house would sell and everything would work out in the Lord's way and in His time.  I could be patient.  (We had two showings that day - could my whole day of patience pay off that fast?!?).  Wednesday I continued forward with faith.

On Thursday I was starting to get tired of being patient (hence the need for all this practice, you see?).  I felt prompted in the morning to get the house clean.  I was going to be out doing things all morning and wanted to be ready just in case we got the call.  The call never came.  No showings.  No response from our Tuesday showings (one was a return showing from the second low ball offer - maybe she was willing to come up another $15,000 to our bottom price?).  I was having a battle inside my head.  One side didn't want to press on any more.  It wanted to be done with all this annoyance and uncertainty.  The other side was so sadly disappointed at the short resilience and bad attitude of the other side it was beating itself up.  So I guess it was less like a battle and more like a pity party.

Friday was no better.  I wanted to fight the negative thoughts with the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit but I was just too emotionally worn out.  So instead I escaped into book one of Fablehaven (and liked it) and got little else done other than to lament the quick destruction of Thursday's clean house.

Once again, like the magical gift she is, my mother-in-law happened by and brought renewed focus on the simplicity of faith and patience - love.  God loves me.  Everything will work out, in due time.  While we were chatting my phone chimed.  I let it be until she left.

Once again committed to the unknown length of my trial I checked my phone.  It was our agent asking if we could show the house Saturday afternoon.  I felt like I had been a whiny child complaining there was nothing to eat when presented with a plate full of healthy options.  Another showing certainly wasn't a good, solid offer or a concrete time line, but it was hope.

That evening as I pondered what to make for my family for dinner (it seemed almost every meal that week had come directly from a can or the freezer) I started to put together in my mind a few ingredients that were in the fridge...the extra package of tortillas Shem had bought, the two half-empty (yes, I am a pessimist by nature) tubs of sour cream, the soups and chilies in the food storage, and some chicken.  Everything for chicken enchiladas, but I would have to thaw the chicken and dinner was due in such a short time.  It was then I remembered the two extra chicken breasts I had cooked on Tuesday.  We certainly didn't need to cook the extra poultry that day but it had made sense at the time to cook it all and set some aside.

As I stood in the kitchen chopping up my cooked chicken and throwing together a fast and delicious meal I felt grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord.  Grateful for the cooked chicken that was patiently waiting in the fridge, for the diligence of a thoughtful mother-in-law, for the regular confirmation that I am known and cared for.  With that warmth growing in my heart I joyfully sat with my family and gave thanks for the hot meal before us.