One Small "Step in Time" for Man

Confession.  We still have our Christmas decor out.  Tree and all.
Yep.  We're those people.
At first my excuse was "well, technically the twelve days of Christmas start ON Christmas day, so... and we can't forget about Epiphany!  That's so essential to our faith! I mean really I'm teaching my children about the liturgical calendar by leaving up the stuff, right?"
Annnnnnnnd now it's January 22nd and it's just sad.  It has nothing to do with the fact that I work three jobs, only get paid for two of them (yes, I'm counting motherhood) and I'm too tired to care.  

But I digress...
Here's a lovely Christmas memory from Team Johnson.
It's a month late.
You're welcome.
.......

On Christmas morning, I was shocked to see a rather large box under the tree with my name on it. My first thought was, Poopers!  Someone always has to disobey the "no presents for grown-ups" rule, UGH!

I know, I'm a super grateful human being.

When it came time to open the infamous gift, everyone was watching very intently.  Especially the kids. It was the biggest box!  What was in there!  Children were jealous, grandparents intrigued, my husband sitting quietly, giggling in the corner.  I KNEW IT!  He can NEVER keep a secret.. Most of the time I'm glad of that, by the way.

Then I opened the box and laughed out loud.  I knew in an instant this would need explaining to the masses, but to the lovely man I married, who wrapped this ridiculousness, it was a sweet moment we shared for a few seconds, the only two who understood the gift.

Max peered into the box.
"What the...  why did Daddy get you a bunch of LOGS!?"

My man did it.  He stepped out in great faith and did it for me.

He called the chimney sweep.

I know, I know, Call Obama.  Let me explain.  We have lived in our current home for eight years.  EIGHT YEARS PEOPLE.  And we have never, until that call, used our fireplace. So lame, such a small thing, but something we've been meaning to do since we moved in.  But we moved in two weeks before my due date with Max, I had two babies in thirteen months and pretty much everything that wasn't essential to life got pushed back about five years.  

Can I get an amen!

We just never got around to getting the thing checked out and inspected.  But all it took was a phone call and Wham!  Mamma's found her happy place!  The chimney sweep arrived, checked out our fireplace and told us we were good to go.  Granted it did take me a few moments to get over the fact that he looked nothing like Dick Van Dyke, did no singing or dancing and had a southern accent...but after that initial disappointment, I was just glad to have this cozy fireplace up and going!
And Oh. My.  GOODNESS!  Fires in the fireplace are my new favorite thing.  Serisouly, I'm kind of obsessed you guys, I could be a pyro.  We might not just be that weird family that leaves Christmas decor up till Valentines Day, we might be the crazy people who have fires burning in their fireplace in July!!  

We've missed out on 8 years of this fiery bliss?! Why didn't we do this sooner?!  The unknown?
The possible mess?  The cost?  Why?


Looking back it's so silly how little effort it took us and how much more benefit that we're getting out of it than we could've ever dreamed!

So ridiculous.

(Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.")

I can't be the only weirdo that has this issue.  Do you ever have something in the back of your mind that you've really thought on for way too long?  It keeps nagging you that sound like "I just need to stop thinking about _________ and just go ahead and __________"
For me, I imagine the possible insurmountable cost it might ask of me, when in reality all God is asking me to do is take one small step of faith...and HE will do the rest?  Most of the time for me, it turns out when God asks me to do something, that's all He's asking of me.

One small step.
And He does all the heavy lifting for me.

I wonder how many blessings I've missed out on because I let my mind run wild with worry about what might happen.  And 99% of the time it's never that insurmountable!  And how many exciting things God has in store for me if I'd just stop making excuses and thinking up terrible awful, terrifying consequences of what the YES might cost me. Why do I do this?  Looking back have I ever regretted any Yeses to Jesus?
Nope.
Not a one.
He's always given me way more than I've ever sacrificed.  Sometimes it takes a while to see it, but hindsight is so faithful to prove it.

Are you scared you can't do it?  You'll never know till you try.  Are you worried you might fail?  Even if you do, so what!  No adventure is wasted!  What is God asking you to do?  I guarantee the blessings far outweigh anything it costs you.  

Make it hap'n Cap'n.  I'm praying for you.
Step in Time, Friend!