Come what may, God’s wisdom prevails

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

I’m a reasonably patient person, but six months of delays followed by a poor outcome won’t win me any awards for enhanced endurance. Rather, I must admit to recently reaching the end of my tolerance level.  

I’ve been waiting for six months for a contractor to begin working on a screen porch project at my home. I first contacted him in July and was anxious for the work to start in August. No such luck. 

His first excuse was that the materials would take eight weeks to arrive. Whenever I asked if he’d ordered them, he’d tell me he was out of the office and would do so “soon.” The project was projected to commence in September and then bumped to October. In October, I asked if I’d have the porch by Thanksgiving. It was promised that I would. 

A week before the holiday, with no word on a start date, I told my contractor I had the feeling he didn’t want to do my work. He admitted to putting me off because he wasn’t happy with our agreed-upon pricing. I agreed to a significant price increase hoping that the building would finally ensue. A month later – just ten days before Christmas, it did. 

A week into the build, I held significant reservations about the project’s quality—a rush to complete things before the holidays left me feeling worse. The roofer walked off the job mid-day, and my contractor’s helper moved into the truck in the afternoon – not wanting to work in the cold weather. We agreed to pause while I was traveling. 

When I returned from the holidays, I expected work to continue. Instead, my project manager told me that he had been in the hospital for a few days. A week later, he called to say he quit. 

Frustrated and anxious over my half-built porch and not knowing how to proceed, I didn’t sleep well that night. My mind has a way of embedding itself into problems until I’ve reached a solution. 

“Let anyone who lacks wisdom ask of God.” That Bible verse repeated itself in my mind as I lay awake for hours in the middle of the night. It became my prayer – my mantra. 

I need your wisdom, God. Show me what to do, I cried out. Let anyone who lacks wisdom ask of God. I’m asking You. Please show me Your wisdom.

After rising the following day, I called the contractor who had built my former screen porch and asked him to look at the creation. To say he was shocked at the project’s quality is putting it mildly. 

“This is the worst work I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told me. 

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” I replied. “I’m happy to be validated but frustrated to hear that things are so bad.” 

By the end of our discussion, he advised me to rip everything down and start over. I agreed to have him do so. 

I also reached out to the franchise owner to request a refund for his subcontractor’s faulty work. A day later, he returned a third of my money with no apology. I’ve been fighting for the remainder of my payment ever since. 

While I know God gave me the wisdom to find another contractor, this entire project has been quite an ordeal. Rather than celebrating my home’s new addition, I’ve been frustrated and frazzled every step of the way. 

But perhaps, I need to look at this differently. 

My subcontractor’s decision to quit allowed me the opportunity to assess his work and secure corrections before everything was completed. In a way, this setback afforded me a better product in the long run. God intervened before things got worse. 

This isn’t the first time my patience and trust have been taken advantage of, and it likely won’t be the last. Nevertheless, I can’t let the actions of others change who I am. 

I’m reminded of an Irish prayer that summarizes this sentiment. 

Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings instead of your crosses. 

Count your gains instead of your losses. 

Count your joys instead of your woes. 

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your courage instead of your fears. 

Count your laughs instead of your tears. 

Count your kind deeds instead of our mean. 

Count your health instead of your wealth. 

Count on God instead of yourself. 

– Author Unknown

And so I shall. God has blessed me more than I deserve, so I will concentrate on all the good things in my life and let go of the bad. While I can’t always count on things to turn out the way I want them to, I know my heavenly Father will never let me down. God’s wisdom far exceeds my own. 

I’m still learning to let go of the stressors in my life, but I will trust God to bring the resolution that He desires. His outcome, His governance is all that matters. I will, therefore, rest in the arms of Jesus, come what may.