Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

We experienced one of our first unpleasant homeowner experiences this weekend. I wanted to blog about it because, although when it happened it felt like a major ordeal, I know when I go back and read this post a few months from now, it will seem like a small stressor and will be a reminder to not sweat the small things in life. I think I've also learned a few valuable lessons from the experience.

Friday afternoon, before we left town, Matt noticed that some of the popsicles in the freezer were melting. The freezer was still cold so we assumed one of us had accidentally left the door ajar. Well, when we got back from Weatherford on Sunday night, Matt checked the freezer and everything was melted including about 10 packages of chicken breasts and close to 15 pounds of hamburger meat we had stocked up on about a month ago. We were able to salvage most of the meat since it was still cold by temporarily storing it in ice chests. That was a stressful night. After the fridge was fixed, I went on a huge cooking spree and refroze the cooked meat. On Monday, the report from the repairman was even more stressful. They had to replace the compressor which cost us several hundred dollars. When Matt called me with the news, I got a pit in my stomach. I'm known to be stressed out easily and find it hard to relax once I'm stressed. I spent time in prayer on Sunday night about the situation praying that we didn't have to buy a new fridge. God was faithful in answering my prayers in multiple ways. For one, although the repair was much more expensive than we were hoping, we did not have to buy a new fridge, and secondly and probably more amazingly, shortly after that phone call with Matt, I felt an incredible peace the rest of the day and didn't dwell on the expense or worry about the fridge at all. I love how God is so faithful in the little things. This experience has also given me the opportunity to remember how blessed Matt and I are.

1. We have a refrigerator full of food
2. This is a minor financial burden not a major one for us.
3. We received our tax refund just a couple of days before the fridge broke
4. I now have pounds and pounds of precooked chicken and ground beef that will make cooking in the future faster and easier.
5. This sounds silly, but I kept thinking about this. I had faith that my refrigerator and freezer would keep my food cold and frozen. It failed me. I keep thinking how blessed we are that God is always faithful and will never fail us.