Building a Wall....part 2

In building a wall, one of the first questions asked is, what do I do first? One of the first things I had to do when I started building was remove any debris that was in the way. I had to rake back the leaves and remove all the dead grass from the area. I knew if I tried to lay brick on top of debris the wall would not be sturdy and could fall. What is the debris in your life, you may be asking. All the anger and the bitterness that has developed over time needs to be removed. The hatred and vindictive feelings left by the destruction needs to be taken out and buried. Nothing can be left at the base that could cause the new wall to be unstable. How do you do that, you ask? One way is repentance; understanding that the words you've spoken or the actions you’ve taken has caused an area of your life to become torn down and destroyed. Then you must be willing to turn away from such actions and start over. But what if the reason my wall fell wasn’t because of me but because of someone else, you may ask? Then the second way to remove debris is by offering forgiveness…one of the hardest things to do sometimes is say, I forgive you. Even though you know the person that caused the destruction did it intentionally, you have got to learn to forgive. When we truly repent and forgive, the debris from the collapse seems to easily to brush away.

The second thing I had to do, before I started building, was to pack and level the ground. I had to make sure when I placed that first brick on the dirt it didn’t shake or wobble like a weeble wobble. Ensuring the ground we build on is secure is hard. It requires time, effort and a lot of energy. But what we put into it is worth it when the marching of the troops doesn’t vibrate the walls down, allowing the enemy to enter in and destroy what we have. The ground has to be solid.

What did you have the first wall built on? Was the foundation a little shaky? Were there a few loose patches of doubt that shifted during a few minor attacks? Were there a few roots of bitterness or jealousy that were left in the ground? Was the ground compromised from an earlier dispute prior to the wall being built? All of those things must be removed and the ground packed solid around the areas where they lay. If not, you’ll be right back where you are in a short period of time.

Once I had the ground packed and leveled, I was eager to lay the first brick. I took the first one and laid it in place; I then took the second and laid it next to the first one. I repeated this process about fifteen times until I noticed something disturbing. My bricks had cracks and chips in them. I can’t use bricks or stones that have flaws. What kind of wall would this be? I want a secure wall, I want a wall that won’t allow my dirt to seep through a crack or allow a varmint to slip through. I need a wall that will be strong, supportive and protective. Flawed product just won’t do.

Isn’t that what we do? We use “products” in our lives that are flawed thinking that we won’t reap any repercussion from using them. Fake friends, social media, get rich quick schemes and website horoscopes are a few items that could be classified as flawed product. We’ve all had them in our lives, but to use them as protection or to use them as a place of shelter is asking for trouble. Remove the flawed product you've had in place and watch how the wall becomes stronger.  Confidence in the products and people you have is vital to a secured life. 

As I finished laying the final bricks on the wall, I took a step back to review my work. I was proud of what I had built. I put a lot of time, effort and energy into this wall. I took pictures and called the family out to look at what I had done. I, a man who can’t hammer a nail without hitting his thumb, had completed a project. Not only completed a project, but accomplished a task that would protect, secure, and support whatever “LIFE” was placed behind it. 

…Just my thoughts on a page.

Building a Wall....part 1

Over the weekend, I got a wild hair and decided to build a retaining wall around our flower bed. The neighbors next to us and the neighbors just down the street both had one built around their beds and it looked really nice and easy to do. So, off to Lowe’s I went. I got all the materials I would need for the job, came home and begin my adventure in building a retaining wall.

I started at the lowest end of the bed, thinking that I would lay the stone and just stack them on top of each other. I mean, how hard could it be to stack brick, right? Well, there is more to it than just laying bricks on top of each other. You have to make sure the ground is level; otherwise the bricks you lay on top will not be sturdy and may fall. Needless to say, I worked hard to ensure I had a firm, level foundation on which to build this wall.
After I got the ground level, I begin to lay the brick down. As I lay each brick, I could see that the outcome of my efforts was going to be pretty nice. Each layer I placed I could tell that this was going to be a strong, supportive and protective wall around this flower bed. Then it hit me….I’ve got another wall that I need to build; the wall that protects my heart, mind and spirit.

I’m reminded of a story about a city that had a wall built around it. This wall was very thick and was able to withstand very heavy attacks from the enemies of the city. And believe me, this city had enemies. One day, a very strong, intelligent, technical savvy enemy began to attack the city. As they beat and pounded on the wall, it soon began to crumble. As the layers of brick, mortar and wood began to give way, the army was able to eventually penetrate and enter into the city. They began to burn the gates that were supposed to help protect the city from attack, and as the gates burned and the walls began to crumple, the armies began to attack the inner parts of the city. The men of this army stole all of the gold and silver they could from the people. They took many items that the people considered precious and priceless. The people were devastated. They couldn’t believe what had happened. Their precious city was destroyed. The wall surrounding them had huge holes and the gates that once helped to protect them had been burned to the ground. No one would have ever thought that such a thing could happen….it was devastating, crushing, demoralizing and embarrassing.

The sad part of this story isn’t the fact that the city was destroyed, but that the walls weren’t rebuilt. No one within the city took the time to learn from the attack and rebuild the walls and gates to withstand another attack of this magnitude. They just let things stay the way they were and carried on with life. Any time an enemy wanted to attack they could and would be successful in bringing more havoc on the people of this city. Even smaller, less trained, less equipped enemies would attack because they knew the walls had been torn down and nothing had been done to rebuild them. Anyone could attack and be successful in causing pain to the people.

How many of you find yourself comparing your life to the city in the story? You’ve been attacked and had your walls and gates destroyed. You’ve had many things that you would consider precious or priceless either stolen or destroyed and felt like you had been humiliated, demoralized and embarrassed by this enemy? We’ve all been there and we’ve all had the same thoughts….I’m tougher than that. We’ve all thought the walls we had built were strong enough to withstand an attack, but there was that one enemy that we didn’t plan for. That one enemy that got through every layer of brick and mortar, each layer of wood and sheet of steel that we had in our wall and destroyed everything we worked hard to protect. But rather than rebuild, we left things the way they were. Now, the new things you try to acquire seem to constantly be stolen or destroyed. Every time you think you’ve got something worth keeping, it slips through your fingers and you ask yourself, why? Maybe it’s because your wall hasn’t been rebuilt. Your enemy sees every time you get something you consider precious and he comes back in through the same hole and steals or destroys what you have.

Well folks, its rebuilding time….just my thoughts on a page.

Supposing = Home Alone

Something that’s been on my mind the last few months is whether or not I’m okay spiritually. I think that I am, but then I hear a sermon or I listen to lessons that make me question whether I am or not. Maybe that’s what they’re supposed to do, make me think. I recently heard a lesson from Rev. Charles Chargois, on the journey of Mary and Joseph returning from Jerusalem and realizing that Jesus wasn’t with them. When I heard the lesson, the first thing that came to mind was the movie Home Alone. I could see Mary and Joseph running around making sure the animals were watered up (gassed up), packing the camels and mules with the products they purchased at the market, making sure Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Ester and Uncle Solomon had all their balms and ointments and last but not least asking if anyone had to go to the tree (restroom). With all the excitement everyone forgot one of the most precious cargo items…Jesus.

I can see Mary making the same statement Kevin’s mom said, “I feel like we’re forgetting something”. Then, as she rests her head on the back of the camels hump, she suddenly realizes and cries out, JESUS! She runs to Joseph and asks, “Have you seen Jesus”? Joseph replies in horror, “No! I thought he was with you”. What a mess they’re in now.

In Luke 2:44-47 it says that they did three things. They supposed, they sought, and they found Jesus. Are we doing the same? Are we supposing our spiritual life is okay? When was the last time you stopped everything and asked yourself, “Where is Jesus”? If you can honestly say he is right here then maybe you’re okay. It’s when you hesitate to answer the question is when I would worry, because you’re really not sure.

Mary and Joseph knew he wasn’t there because they checked every wagon, every camels hump, every donkey’s load, every family member’s cart. They knew he wasn’t there, so they retraced their steps. They went back to the last place they knew they saw him, the last place they felt his presence, the last place they heard his voice. They sought after him because they knew that having him in their life was worth more than any job that they had to get back to. Jesus was worth more than what any family member or friend thought about them. He was worth more than any amount of groceries and supplies that might ruin. Jesus was worth more than anything or any way of life that had to be given up or left behind. He was priceless to them….and they would do anything to get him back into their lives. They didn’t assume that he would find his way home. They didn’t say, well he should have been with us. No! They went seeking him.

I like what the scripture says about seeking…..take the steps it takes and you’ll find what it is your searching for. Now I paraphrased a lot on that….but it’s true. Mary and Joseph found what it was they were seeking after….in the church. Isn’t it funny how when you’re looking for Jesus, you usually find him in the strangest places? Who would have thought that a twelve year old would be at the temple? Who would have known that the man sick of palsy would have found him teaching in a neighbor’s house? Or the woman with an issue of blood would have found him in the streets….I love each one of these stories, because the outcome is the same. They were all healed. Not only the outcome but the beginning….they each had to suppose and realize they didn’t have the answer or the thing needed to supply the need they had. They each had to get up, even if they had to ask friends to help, and seek Jesus. Then they each received what they went seeking after. And in some cases, they got more than what they were seeking for.

So, I guess it comes down to this. Are you supposing Jesus is with you or are you 100% sure he’s there? If not, get up and seek him. If you need a friend to help call me.

Just my thoughts on a page…..