Skip to main content

Be Careful How you Build

          In 1980, when Saskatchewan celebrated its 75 anniversary, people were encouraged to take on some sort of commemorative project.  For some unknown reason, one of our neighbours decided to build a castle in his front yard.  In fact, this castle was not “in” his front yard, it “was” his front yard.  Built out of little pieces of lumber, the castle had turrets, battlements, a bridge and it stood over eight feet tall.  Joe worked at his project for months and when he was done he proudly slapped a “Celebrate Saskatchewan” sticker on it for all to see. 
            The castle remained standing as long as Joe was in the house.  Eventually, however, age forced him to move and the new owners came in and demolished everything.  Last Friday, I walked past the property and, had you not seen the castle, you would never know that it had existed.
            About that same time, my Grandpa took on a building project of his own.  He decided that my brother and I needed a place to play, so he built a shed in our backyard.  This shed was sort of like a treehouse to us.  It was a place to hang out and, in the summer, we would even sleep out there.  Recently, my brother moved that building to his house where it is still standing and is still being used more than thirty years after it was built.
            These two stories remind me that each of us is spending our life building something.  The question is, “Are you building something temporary or something that will endure?”   To put it another way, writer Rick Atchley says “Lasting joy cannot come from things that don’t last.  Don’t make your life about stuff your kids are just going to haul to the dump someday”
            “Each one should be careful how he builds” (1 Corinthians 3:10).  Those words were given to the Corinthian church after Paul told them that their life’s work would be tested at the end of time. 
            It is important to invest our lives in things that last because what we do today can influence our eternity. 
            What are you building?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more