Discipline

It's rather humorous that Matt was writing about discipline last night. There are many ways that people use the word discipline. I snipped this from merriam-webster.com:

While people often think of entry #1 when thinking of discipline (particularly in a parent-child situation), we prefer to look at #4, and this is, I believe, the type of discipline that is being talked about in the 12th chapter of Hebrews that Matt was talking about last night. God's discipline of us as his children can not relate to punishment because there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ, but there is absolutely, without a shadow of doubt, plenty of training that is still required in us - correction, molding, perfecting - the definition above could come straight out of any number of places in the Bible instead of just Merriam-Webster!

Matt's spent the last two months working (along with other projects for work) on a contract job that's been one of the bigger headache's he's had in all of his years of working in the architectural field. The final drawings were finally due yesterday, and he sent them off telling me he hopes the whole thing comes in so far over budget that it never happens because he doesn't even want to think about having to deal with the shop drawings and RFIs (request for information) that are going to come up if it goes into construction. Nevertheless, it's been consuming his time and mental energy for weeks, and today is the first real day he's had to devote to building the basement bedroom for the boys so Bogomila can have the one main level bedroom in the house.

First thing this morning he realized that the windows we'd received last month are the wrong windows! They're too narrow to meet egress. He looked back at the order, and although we told our rep the right size, the purchase order we approved had the wrong size. Four inches too narrow means the windows we have in our basement don't meet the egress requirements! That's a big downer on the day you have a friend coming over to help you finally cut out the foundation wall and install the windows!! But what are you going to do? Call the rep, leave a message, and keep working forward on other smaller pieces.

There's one more piece of paperwork we need to send to Bulgaria - a power of attorney form allowing me to travel alone and gain custody of the girls, and go through the USCIS stuff and all that without Matt along for the pick up trip. It needs to be, like everything else, notarized, and then run down to the Secretary of State office for an apostille. Not hard, just time consuming. So, Matt got the forms signed yesterday (only one needs an apostille.) This morning after I dropped the boys off at their therapy sessions, Gloria, Evania and I ran down to the Secretary of State with one of the notarized forms, dropped it off, and sat down to wait with a few books. When my name was called, it seemed quicker than usual - what a delight! - only to find that the apostille was rejected because the notary stamp was not fully imprinted on the page. Ugh. So a whole morning wasted. Now Matt's got to go down to the bank for another notary, and we've got to get back to the S of State before we can get the form sent off to Bulgaria.

My whole ride back to pick up the boys was filled with a repeat of what I read in Romans last night: be patient in tribulation. (part of 12:12). Now, yes, I fully understand that wrong size windows and rejected notarized documents are not exactly tribulation, but I think that's part of a father's loving discipline - you get practice with the little things so you're better able to handle the big ones. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10) Isn't that the same way I discipline my own children? Every morning they're expected to make their beds and tidy up their bedroom floors. This is discipline. It's not punishment for wrong doing, it's not a meaningless exercise. It's my attempt at developing internal discipline in my children. If they can learn to do this small task well, boring and rote as it is, it will prepare them for greater tasks and responsibilities as they grow up. God is doing the same for me and Matt. If we are to be patient in tribulation, what better place to start than small, with windows and apostilles, to better equip us to be patient in bigger tribulations as they come.

In the meantime, Matt and Chad (anyone who's read through the first big addition knows Chad!!!) are going to cut out the wall today anyway, and just cover the opening with plywood. What you see there is the temporary wall Matt put up after lunch today to support the joists until the new header goes in. Right now they're at Menards, and once they get back, the fun begins. ;)