It's Been a Knob and Tube Kind of Year

I normally like to bring you some encouragement, something uplifting, or maybe even something to get you to laugh with my blogs…But I’ll be honest with you, I’ve got four iterations of this post for this week. Four different directions I could have gone, and I just can’t land the plane…

Last night, while investigating an electrical issue in our home office, I discovered knob and tube wiring in our attic. Knob and tube wiring that went undiscovered because we never got an inspection done on our house before we bought it. An inspection we couldn’t get done because when we bought our house 5 years ago, the market was so crazy that you couldn’t submit an offer with conditions, because home owners wouldn’t even look at offers with them. So…we have knob and tube that appears to be live in our attic.

As soon as I saw this, my heart sank. There’s a lot of issues with a house that I know how to deal with, or know roughly the costs. But this…I don’t even know where to begin. I know that knob and tube is one of those gigantic red flags in homes. Likely thousands of dollars in removal, and a huge fire hazard until it is properly dealt with. And it’s all because of the corners we had to cut just to get into the house, that we’re here. It gives me feelings of failure and frustration, anger and despair…Everything just feels broken.

Maybe you can relate. Some of you, in this last year, have had to deal with major health issues or complications that popped up out of the blue. Some of you have lost a loved one, or had close calls with a loved one. You’ve had to assist parents with major life changes, or transition your kids to learning from home, with varying results. You’ve lost your jobs, and have been scrounging to keep the lights on ever since. You’ve faced increased tensions in your homes because everyone is there all day, every day…The list could go on. And maybe you’re feeling like me, you don’t even know where to begin, you’re angry, or frustrated, and everything just feels broken.

If that is you, I want you to know that I get it, I’m sorry, and I’m with you.

It’s times like this that the Lament Psalms become anthems for me. These Psalms take our hurt, our anger, our frustration, and despair to God and ask why? And after crying out to God, they end with an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God amidst all of our earthly troubles. Which gives me hope, and strength to persevere through this knob and tube kind of year.

I don’t know where you’re at right now, but maybe this is what you need to help you endure the insurmountable thing you are facing:


Mike Sanders