GROUNDWORK

Groundwork = the preparation beforehand; to prepare the ground prior to building

So, a lot has been going on the past three weeks! We welcomed our baby, Lainey Mae, on April 10th, I had pretty extensive surgery while in for the C-section (which was a whole situation in itself), and we have been prepping our home for remodeling… Because in order to make room, we have to expand, and in order to expand, we have to build.

We weren’t planning on starting the remodel while adjusting to having a newborn (because who in their right mind would ever?!), but that’s life sometimes, right? We had this whole plan to begin working on our house prior to her arrival, but sickness and disease hit our home. Anxiety decided to pay a visit to my husband too, and he was under a total physical attack. So, there were things on the homefront that we had to take care of FIRST while we were closing out 2023 and entering into 2024….and before the building could commence, we knew we had to do some groundwork physically. We had some laboring to do. We had some communicating to do. We had some more planning to do. We had some ground to move. We had some decluttering that we had to do. We had some decisions that needed to be made too.

Little did we know that God would parallel our home remodel, our plans, and our struggles to show us and teach us that we so desperately need to trust His building plans and timeline...What’s also unreal is the fact that every time we were in the car or working in the garage, we found ourselves hearing the song Firm Foundation by Maverick City Music and Cody Carnes (not even exaggerating)... See, God is always on the move, and as we were getting hit at every angle, He had a plan. And to add to that, He was waiting on us to dig deep and to do some groundwork so that He could come in and lay a new and stronger foundation in us individually, in our marriage, in our home, and in our family.

AND I NEED YOU TO GET THIS: In order to prepare for any build, the groundwork has to be done, PERIOD, or it won’t work out. An area must be totally cleared of debris or anything that could hinder the foundation, and then, the ground must be leveled out so that footers can be set and concrete can be poured for the foundation. 

And can I tell you something? God wants to build you up, your marriage, your ministry, your children, and your church, and He wants to take us all to new heights and new places…But listen, He can’t even take us there until we put in the groundwork and then, allow Him to lay the foundation for us. He has got to be the rock that we stand upon because He provides provision that we can’t get anywhere else, and when everything else fails, HE IS FAITHFUL. I’m here to remind you too that He wants to see you rise above, He wants to see you break out of generational bondage and addiction, He wants to see you liberated and delivered, He wants to see you being the child of God that you’re called to be, and He wants to see you walk out the plan that He has for you. 

It’s wild to me that GOD, the ONE who laid the foundations of the earth and established the heavens, wants to personally establish and stabilize us too, and He so desires for us to look at the blueprints He has so carefully drawn out for us. He wants to be our cornerstone, and honestly, we need Him to be so that when those trials come, we have a stronghold and a hope we can stand firmly upon (Matthew 7:24-27). I’m not going to sit here and lie to you… the enemy will always try God’s children. But here’s the deal: When we have established ourselves in Christ and when we are willing to submit to His Will, the enemy could try to come in with a wrecking ball for all I care and wouldn’t stand a chance... 

BECAUSE WHEN GOD IS THE CONTRACTOR AND HIS BLUEPRINTS ARE BEING UTILIZED FOR OUR LIVES, THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN HINDER THOSE PLANS FROM HAPPENING. 

God is a promise-keeper and a waymaker, and HE IS A FIRM FOUNDATION. So, let’s get excited to do some work and put our boots on. Let’s get to moving some dirt out of preparation, and let’s remove the debris out of our lives. Let’s hear what He has to say. Let’s follow His lead and remove the things that aren’t working anymore.

Let’s do some groundwork.