Closing Doors and Closing Windows.

Overall it's been a tough year for furnaces. Must have something to do with the winter starting as late as it did.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been getting this feeling of impending doom. Not the regular feeling of impending doom that I'm used to, but a different kind. I have been increasingly worried about how precarious our financial situation is. I know we could be doing better if my wife was working but we made the decision a long time ago that it was best for the kids if she could become a full-time mother and so we have persuaded that avenue ever since. Well, the big problem with our plan has always been that we can't save much, or anything at all, and if something big happens well, we're pretty much doomed.

Not an easy way to live, but so far it's worked out. Until maybe yesterday. Turns out my the pilot light on my furnace went out. I got home from work and my family was freezing but I was able to restart the pilot light but after a few minutes it went back off, again I lit it praying that this wasn't going to be the 'BIG' problem that we have been so fortunate to ward off these past couple of years. It lit, the furnace turned on and I was elated. I went about my business of the morning but when I went back to check on the furnace I discovered that the pilot went out again. This time it didn't light, no matter how long I held the little button. I did it over, and over, and over. Every time the pilot would light as soon as I released the little button it would go back out with a little hiss, almost as if it was stifling a chuckle at me. Often when things like this happen I get angry, bent out of shape and I curse the Lord for not fulling his promises. I've been trying not to do that and just thank him and ask him that it's not as bad as I think it is.

I still don't know what the problem is because a heating guy is going to come over later today. But He blessed us with a fireplace that we hardly use, mainly because I am terrible about starting and maintaining fires. Nevertheless last night I was able to start a fire, keep it going and the house has maintained a very comfortable temperature ever since. I was beginning to think that we were never going to be able to use the firewood that we had stockpiled in the garage. So although it would have been nice that my furnace not have had this problem, it is really nice for the Lord to guide us through this problem as we face it.

So I guess it's true that whenever a door closes the Lord opens a window, but I told him to close it again because he's letting the heat out.