I was boxed in. I was surrounded by four plywood walls, much too high for me to climb over. The box had a plywood floor, and the top was uncovered. There were no windows, and there was no door. It was just a big, wooden box, sitting in the middle of the concrete garage floor. But I was not afraid. I was actually very excited and in awe of the builder. My father had just started building a playhouse for me. He had only the outside shell built, but he asked me if I wanted to stand inside and take a tour, an imaginary tour. I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer, never fearing he would walk away trapping me inside with no way out.
He had gently lifted me over a wall, and there I stood inside of what seemed like a huge open room. It’s funny how our perception of things can be so very different as a child, versus the reality of things as an adult. As I stood there inside, he was on the outside, looking over the wall at me. He walked to one end and pointed at the wall, “This is where the front door will be,” he said. He then pointed to the sides and said, “Over there will be a window and another there.”
I couldn’t, hard as I tried, imagine how these raw, unfinished pieces of wood could ever become what he was describing. But, my Father was a house builder. He owned a construction company. He built the home we were living in now. Even as small children, we knew his occupation. When asked what my father did for a living, we would proudly answer, “he builds houses.” Although I couldn’t comprehend the plans he had for that box, I had seen his work, and I knew whatever he built for me would be nothing short of amazing. I trusted the builder.
As Christians, we can deeply relate this to God’s construction of our lives. We might watch the construction around us and become fearful. Perhaps we lose the ability to let God put us in a box in which we have no control of escaping on our own. How many times do we wish for a preview of the blueprint, as we worry that somehow God is going to miss something?
But, in reality, we should be excited. Construction most often is a bit messy and takes some time. But it also carries with it hope and anticipation of what’s to come. Instead of being fearful, our builder wants us to trust him, with childlike faith. He’s going to take those raw, unfinished pieces of our lives and use them to build us into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Although we can’t imagine what shape our lives will take when the builder gets started, we can be sure the results will be much more spectacular than anything we could dream up ourselves. Isaiah 43:4 reminds us that we are precious in his eyes, and he loves us. And 1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has for us that He would call us His children. And that is what we are.”
To this day, I love the smell of fresh lumber. It always brings me back to that day my Dad was building in the garage. As anticipated, my playhouse was terrific, and the envy of every little five-year-old girl on the block. It was complete with carpeted floors, curtained windows, and the coolest doorbell ever. Do you know why my playhouse was so very special? Because my Dad was a builder. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.”- Author Unknown
Wishing you joy and peace,
Lorrie