Many years ago when I first started writing this blog I wrote about the Multiplication Effect. I came up with that expression because it was something I had noticed God was constantly doing. Instead of giving us a new home or a new barn, He would instead open our eyes to seeing our space with a new perspective and thus began to multiply our spaces. Our home has been reworked so many times to give us more space, more rooms, even though we haven't added a single room in the typical renovating way. The layout of our home is so much better than when we first moved in and accommodates all of us easily. Our barn is amazing, too - and it keeps improving as well.
Just when I thought it couldn't happen again, it did. Our basement/dungeon where literally I almost stepped on a toad the other day, has been turned into a new space which I DID NOT see coming. All our kids have become fitness buffs and pre-covid were either members of a gym or worked out at home. Once covid hit, they were forced to work out at home. We had a few small weights, mats and a chin-up bar, but that was about it. We had a stationary bike, but it was in the shop outside and no one was using that. As they were getting somewhat restless, a crazy thought (which is always how it starts) came into my head - "Let's clean up the basement and make a gym downstairs!" "Cool!" my son thought. The basement had become a bit of a dumping ground for old videos, boxes of things we never used, who knows what else. All it really needed was to move those out to the storage room or throw stuff out, so he went at it and after a few days of working on it - it looked awesome, in a clean dungeon kind of way. But this is the thing - it's just for working out, it doesn't have to be pretty. And, if it's a gym, it's nice to be cool and feel air-conditioned! Which it does! It's freezing! It'll be awesome in the summer....
So, then we stared to purchase equipment. Because there are 5 of us who want to use the equipment, it was very affordable because we were splitting the costs 5 ways. We quickly bought adjustable dumbbells, which are the newest and coolest trend, as all the weights are on one dumbbell. You simply twist the end of it and it adds or takes off the weight. Love that! Then we got a bench which can incline or decline depending on the exercise. Then we brought in the bike from the shop and a mat on the floor and that's all we have for now, but it's enough to keep them happy. But as I was thinking about it I was in awe yet again. It's as if we added a whole new room onto our house. One that has always been there, but it just always seemed unusable. It is now an amazing space and the kids (and even us parents) are using it! It has new life and is such a great space I can hardly believe it! It feels like a $20,000 renovation. Even the younger kids go down there now and play, doing whatever kids do in basements - I just can't believe it.
There are two spaces in the basement, one where there is a gym and one other empty space behind that. I'm thinking of using that for a canning/cold cellar and also for a potential seedling room for the future garden. I'm quite excited now that it is all cleaned out to see what we can do with it.
This is just another amazing example to me of how God has worked so many times in our lives. So many times I've wanted to complain and I often do, but then once in a while, I sit back and I try to "manipulate" my thoughts, which is my new faith exercise, to choose gratitude. Then suddenly these crazy ideas come into my head - thoughts that were never there before. My eyes open to what can be done and then the manpower is amazingly willing and provided as well (through my kids). Then the miraculous multiplication occurs and I get not just one, but two new spaces. In fact, it's basically a whole new floor! This is the irony....my friend was literally just telling me about her extensive basement reno.....I was kind of listening with a little bit of jealousy as our's was never going to look like her's, but even then I realized it was ok! We were also getting a basement reno, just in a different form! Everyone is so excited because when you are working out happy hormones are being created and moods are lifted. It has helped everyone already and is inspiring even those who are less inclined to working out to start. I thank God for what may be a small miracle to some, but it is a big miracle to me. This new space saves my kids tons of money on memberships and gas to the gym, not to mention all the extra minutes wasted driving there and back, plus it protects my girls from working out with weirdos at the gym as well! All in all, it's so great. If we are to be thankful in everything then this cannot be excluded. I am thankful so much to God for how He even cares about our health and physical fitness!
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