Things have to get so much worse in the process of getting better

To you faithful readers, I do sincerely apologize for not posting like... ever. I fail, completely. My bad, ya'll, my bad. But I'll make it up to you! Yes indeed, really. At least I think I will. My thoughts have been all over the place lately, and I can't even pinpoint a particular topic that they've been on, so let's just jump right in, shall we?
I read a quote today in a book that I started reading. It's called "Hearts in Hiding" by Betsy Brannon Green. She is an LDS author, and the book is actually pretty interesting. I'm a little cautious of novels by LDS authors, but my dear friend and employer, Ashna, recommended that I read it, and so far I have not been disappointed. The main character, Kate Singleton, is a young, pregnant widow. Her husband worked for the FBI and was killed in the line of duty. The operation her husband was involved in now wants Kate dead, so the FBI has put her into the witness protection program, moves from Chicago to a small town outside of Washington D.C. and part of her cover is to marry an agent who shares her LDS faith. The story follows her life there, and her adjustment to being legally married to a man she hardly knows. There was a quote in the book that really caught my attention, though. Kate is thinking to herself and says, "who would have thought that things have to get so much worse in the process of getting better?"

I read that quote and immediately had to write it down. In fact, I even tweeted it. Don't judge me.

But really though, who would think that things have to get worse in the process of getting better? Kate Singleton was really talking about her house being remodeled, not about life. So let's talk about remodeling a house, because I think it is the perfect analogy. Before the old house is renovated, it is livable, but it isn't comfortable, and it's nothing that Kate wants. It was built in the early 1900's, and doesn't seem like much has been done to keep it up. There's leaks in the roof, all of the wallpaper is old and torn in places, the pain is old and faded, the baseboards need sanding and staining, there are holes in some of the walls, and the wood floor is worn. Kate has two choices. She can live with the house as it is and just deal with the things that are wrong with it. After all, she's pregnant, and that would take a lot of work to fix up a house. Or, she could do the work it takes to fix up the house and make it more than livable, but make it better than it ever was before. It will take effort, and she will need help, but the reward in the end is that she has a house far greater than the house she first moved into.

I'm sure you're thinking, "well, of course she will remodel the house, duh."

I assure you, those are my thoughts exactly.

Well, let me tell you, she does remodel that house! I know you were in suspense.

So, aren't our lives kind of like that house? When suddenly you wake up and realize that you might need to remodel your life, I hope you don't NOT remodel it, just because you know it WILL get worse in the process of getting better. After her house is remodeled, though, it's 100x better than it ever was in the beginning. The same story could be told about our lives. Things HAVE to get worse before they get better. Things HAVE to be ugly for a short time before they get better. But that doesn't mean that the reward isn't worth it, because it always, always is.

I felt like that quote was the story of my life lately. Sometimes, it takes little things like that to help you understand what you are going through and make you feel better. God works in mysterious ways, but they're always the way that you need them. I wish I had more time to write, because I have more feelings than this, but, alas, I must go to class.

Farewell, dear readers. <3