God Is Doing a New Thing!

My husband was diagnosed with schizophrenia when our four daughters were all under the age of eight. I found myself mentally exhausted, trying to understand my husband’s behavior while raising our children. Often, my downtime was just doing the most mind-numbing thing I could think of—watching TV. It provided me with something familiar during a time of confusion and uncertainty. However, one night I realized it was no longer helping me. I asked God to direct me toward something that might bring me joy and sustain me during my wilderness experience. I couldn’t leave my two infant children alone with my husband, so whatever it was needed to be something I could do at home.

One afternoon in the checkout line at the grocery store, a magazine on house floor plans caught my eye. I bought it on a whim, but discovered during the following week that I loved looking at floor plans! Looking turned into creating as I began drawing floor plans for all the various dream homes I imagined—who knew I had so many dream houses in me! God was doing a new thing for me—providing me with a hobby that brought me true joy in a time of otherwise uncertainty.