Build
We see it being done all the time; a building, a house, an old structure that is being torn down and scrapped to make room for something new. But on my walk this week there was a house that was being bulldozed, one giant steel bucket hit at a time. Crashed, scooped and then dumped. I stood and watched the wreckage for a while, and rather than focusing on the destruction, my thoughts went back to the time, plans and efforts it took to build that house from the ground up. For what was once a house filled with life, love and memories is now just a shadow left behind.
We build our lives stacking brick upon bricks of relationships, adventures, experiences, upsets, trials, opportunities successes etc. but what holds the bricks in place? It is the mortar! The cement God uses to build us consists of our faith, trust and a constant awareness of a present God who has established a blueprint/plan for each of our lives. He is the architect, the builder and the interior designer who is building us up day by day through life experiences that will strengthen us, give us courage and challenge us to follow his way and do the right thing in this crazy world we live in. God is the very foundation on which he has called us to build our lives.
Our exteriors are varied in style and composition, as are the way we have used our gifts and talents to be a reflection of personalities and interests. But one thing that we each have in common is a heart and soul that is hidden within us that God has created for his Holy Spirit to abide in.
The building of our lives continues on from year to year. God grows us, conforms us transforms us and as time goes by He changes us. And instead of building anew, our lives are being updated; getting a little smarter, mellower, more patient, and approaching life from a different perspective. That is what comes with each birthday; no matter if you are a child, an adolescent, a teenager, a young adult or a parent, a grandparent. We change, we are changing, and it is gradual and when we look back we often times cannot believe how much time has passed by and how many memories we have collected.
But in spite of time as we see it, it is but a sprinkle of time as God sees it. For his eyes are on us always and he is building us up according to His purposes as we glide, or trudge through life and its many hurdles on this Earth. But as a dear friend once told me when I gave him accolades on what he and his family was doing to contribute to the community; he said: I am just walking across the stage…of life.
That is just what we are doing. This home (life) that we have built and are continuing to build and remodel is not permanent and one day we will no longer be active participants on this earth; oh but even as this house that I watched being torn down will no longer exist, the memories and life lived within the walls will remain in the hearts of those who shared their time there. Just as we have found with those who are no longer with us.
My point is this: live life fully today, give God the glory, and trust him no matter what circumstances you are surrounded by. He continues to build all of us up to be his faithful warriors in this world we live in; to share His story and to talk of his redemption and to give us an eternal hope that our final resting place will be with HIM in his heavens that he has proclaimed.
May we stand on God’s foundation and may the mortar between the bricks that build our houses be strong in trust and faith and promise.
For we are building a reputation, a story to be told and a legacy that
will remain in the hearts of those we have loved and who have loved
us.
This month is the birthday of both of my parents, Molly and Ed Smith, who died many years ago. Blessed am I that they left a legacy of love, hope, promise and faith; I pray that legacy will carry on for many generations to come.
Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
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