What a beautiful late winter morning! Just a few things starting to pop up with an inch or two of green and the sun is shining brightly. Thank You, Father, for Your caring touch in every season and in between!
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This is a picture of a structure on County Road 194 on my bus route. I don’t call it a home because obviously it has not been inhabited for a long time – except for maybe mice, raccoons, squirrels, spiders and the like. In fact, I would guess that it has been many years since people lived here.
At one point, it probably provided shelter for a growing family or an elderly couple – many meals were had, many dreams were dreamt, many a tear was shed and many a smile could be found…but no more.
It now shows years of neglect – gaping holes, missing windows, crumbling foundation. Beyond maybe some weathered wood, there would probably not be much salvageable.
So, the home we live in, we have inhabited now for almost 30 years. But it is not the same building in which we moved in. We have invested a fair amount of time and resources into it. In that time, we have replaced windows, the roof, the furnace, carpeting, cabinetry, some plumbing and electrical. We have cleared more land around the house. We have planted. We have uprooted. We have dug. We have filled. We have done quite a bit with it and to it.
Many years ago, I invited Jesus to take up residence with me in life. I am not the same person I was so many years ago. I was young and malleable at the time but honestly many of the things that I chose to do with my life, things that were a part of the original “structure” have been improved upon, they’ve been replaced. Jesus accepted me where I was but has enabled me to be what I am – He knew from the very beginning the potential I had.
But I have to be constantly alert to His direction. Yes, I can ignore it but there could be dire consequences. A faulty outlet or burst pipe in a home could be quite disastrous, as can be a detrimental habit or unhealthy relationship in my life.
If I am not diligent in maintaining my relationship with Jesus, my life will eventually start to show signs of neglect. I don’t dare let my foundation crumble.
Lord Jesus, continue to be the Great Architect of my life. You are truly the Master Builder and You know what is best for me, to be all that I can possibly be. For I am surely more than useless!
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV
Mar 12th, 2019, Tues, 9:39 am
