¹⁰Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

Zechariah 4:10

The work has begun. It’s not a lot to see, but the work behind the scenes is amazing. Talking to suppliers, securing plumbers, electricians and landscaping is done. Plans are being drawn, quotes written, schedules made. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind.

This week we made some notable progress. Dave buried the electrical wire. Although not something immediately beneficial, it is imperative for everything we want to do at the cabin.

We also did a lot of work outside the cabin cleaning up the scrub brush that had grown up the last few years. Dave and I have different ways of approaching a project. He wanted to cut off the top of the bush and leave the root for later. I wanted to use the tractor to push the bushes over and pull them out by the roots. Friday we found a nice compromise and used a shovel to dig out the wild honeysuckle that was taking over around the cabin.

As we cleared the yard, I noticed the bushes didn’t have much of a root system. Many of them, we could just pull out; a few required some encouragement from the shovel. I found myself thinking about the scrub brush in my own life and I pondered the root system of my own wounds. While it feels like the roots are deep and entangled, most of the time, they are easily uprooted. Sometimes it takes a bit more effort, but the Holy Spirit is totally able to expose the roots of the wounds and lead me to places of greater freedom.

Beginning is often the hardest part. So much work happens behind the scenes that can’t be seen and then all at once — the landscape looks completely different. In your own life, I stand with you as the work is begun. The Lord is pleased to see you begin and he’s excited for what is coming.

The carpenters who will do the work on the cabin are beginning in a couple of weeks. We will continue to do the behind the scenes prep work for the project to move ahead at a good pace. I’m excited to share with you the progress photos and especially to open it up for others to come and use. It truly is a place of refuge and restoration!