Exceedingly, Abundantly More
2020/2021 have been strange and heartbreaking ministry years for obvious reasons but for the McKays, another of the most difficult transitions has been all three of the boys moving out in one year’s time. Elijah finished school in April, 2020 and relocated to Austin, TX, just as the pandemic was hitting full stride. Sawyer married in December 2020 and Sam moved out in February, 2021. Sydney is in college and still home with us and is living her best life. She says Luke and I are super needy now that she is the only child around to give us any attention and I do not dispute it. I miss my babies.
The plan was always to downsize once the kids moved away. Mid-2020 a neighbor approached us about buying our house and not knowing what the future held we made a bird-in-the-hand decision to sell and move back to the church parsonage until we could find a place to build a home to eventually retire in that was smaller and ideally a mountain/cabin house.
I also wanted to stay on our peaceful county road among neighbors we love but there was nothing available. Through a series of events that firmly fall within Providence and Blessing, a piece of bluff property that wasn’t for sale was graciously offered to us. After the purchase was complete and papers were signed, we cried and prayed as we stood on the boulders overlooking the valley. The location was above and beyond anything we could have asked for or imagined and we are still overwhelmed by it.
Not long afterward, again through the kindness of people who do way more good for us than we could ever do in return, we began clearing a drive and a building spot. Electricity and water were run and practically overnight, building materials suddenly sky-rocketed and we were forced to put a pin in our plans until something gave.
Fast-forward to about three weeks ago. Luke and I had begun low-key looking for a small home to purchase that we could do minimal remodeling until the time was right to build. When I went to work Monday morning, this was the last conversation we’d had on the subject. By Monday afternoon, we’d learned materials were at a several month low, there was a builder available to take on the project, and if we were ready to pull the trigger we could move forward immediately.
I’m not sure how ready we were but we pulled the trigger.
That is a very generic detailing of all that transpired in that day and I only share it because I never want to forget the goodness of people toward us who have consistently cleared paths to make the details of our lives much easier than they would be if we were navigating them alone. We are so very grateful to the Lord for the fellowship of believers and the refreshing He has given us through so many of them after two long, challenging, and downright sad pastoral years. There’s just not enough to be said for the ministry of showing up for people and helping bear one another’s loads using the gifts God has given each of us.
I wrote a post recently called the Day of Small Things and at that time had no clue that shortly, there would be an actual plumb line in our own hands (or the block mason – you get the meaning). God told the people of Israel not to despise humble beginnings to remind them to stop and respect the gravity of the moment when the first blocks were laid on His house. In the same way, I want to mark God’s goodness toward my family and proclaim Jesus as Cornerstone of our lives and dwelling places.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
