God Lives in a Blue Closet

God lives in a blue closet.

God lives in a home owned by a young woman.

Hurricane Ida destroyed the homes of many throughout Louisana. I met her destruction with my own eyes this week. I saw the way she swiftly moved through a town by the name of Houma. I experienced her firey nature in the wet and molded ceilings. I now know her name and she knows mine.

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My story starts like this- a van ride from Gainsville, GA to Houma, Lousiana to work with Samaritan’s Purse on disaster relief from Hurricane Ida. My first time in Louisana. 

Gap G arrived on Oct. 16th. Riding through the city, the destruction was quite evident by the bright blue tarps displayed on a vast majority of the roofs throughout town. Work started the Monday morning.

The week started with mud-outs. This meant tearing out ceilings, floors, walls, etc. that were contaminated by mold. For many, the mold meant that they could no longer live in their own homes and lived in a hotel or with friends. For others, those mold-infested homes were all they had, so with the mold, they lived. This rang true for many homeowners we had the pleasure of encountering. While removing the mold and doing other tasks around the home to help out in any way we can is important, that’s not out ministry. We come to love and share the name of Jesus with our homeowners 1st and foremost. 

I had to pleasure of talking to many homeowners over the past two weeks, but the woman with the blue closets (name not included for privacy) stood out. She shared her story, which I found quite similar to mine. She had a heart and deep interest in missions for not only herself but her niece. She cared about my story just as much as I did hers. For many homeowners, seeing the walls of their home being torn down and the ceilings being ripped out can be very emotional. That day was very emotional for her. She had just recently moved into that home and bought new furniture to fill it with but the storm ruined it all. And on top of that, she opened her home to her aunt which meant less space for her. 

When entering her bedroom, it was obvious everything needed to be taken out, walls, ceilings, and a seemingly average closet. Our team got to work. This work isn’t as easy as HGTV makes a demo day seem. It’s pulling out layers of paneling that had been painted over and taking out drywall from the ceilings along with every single nail that held it in place. And on top of that, add a hot Louisana day and no A/C. It was brutal. I spent the majority of my time there in that closet though. Tearing out the tough paneling with my leader, Katie. Chipping away at the drywall and nails until the job was done.

This was frustrating, it was hot and hard work that I’m not used to. Many times I begged the Lord for continued strength and He delivered. The sweat dripped down my face as we tore down the walls. The most base layer of the walls were painted a beautiful blue. Who knows the last time that blue closet had been revealed but I really was taken aback by it.

This blue closet reminded me of how the Lord constantly shows up. He’s constantly moving mountains all around me and revealing his glory in new ways. He sees my crusted over layers of my 1970’s wood paneling and molded exteriors yet still chose to seek me out. He’s in me. He exists in every inch of my soul and is closer than my skin. That could seem invasive, but knowing He’s there is the most comfortable I’ve ever been. He is comfort and He is love. 

Psalms 42:8 comes to mind-

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;

And His song will be with me in the night,

A prayer to the God of my life.

He really does exist in every space. Day and night, He’s there to provide for us and comfort us. How amazing is our sweet Father for seeking us out like that. There’s absolutely nowhere His love doesn’t reach us. God lives in my heart. He lives in my soul. He lives in a blue closet.

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