This Old House

When I saw this house being torn down the other day, I was struck by incredible sadness.  No, I have never lived there.  In fact, I don't know that I have noticed the house much in the past.  So why was I sad?  Well, I couldn't help thinking about the original builder.

Was it a young man, eager to build a first home for his new bride?  Was he filled with uncontainable excitement as he told his beloved about their first home?

Was it a family farm that had been passed down from generation to generation?  Did the man build it with his own hands?

I couldn't stop thinking about the stories that house had watched unfold: first loves, Christmas celebrations, countless birthdays, a family working together, new life, death, so many things had happened inside these walls.

By now though, those glory days have come and gone and the mark of time and life itself has brought this house to the point where the owner felt it was no longer worth saving.  The valuables have been removed, and all that is left is for the structure to be leveled.

That got me thinking about my own life and how it is like that of a house.  God was the original builder.  He worked hard and planned out all of my days.  (Job 14:5) 

Was he filled with excitement as He talked to His beloved Father God about all the things that lie ahead for this "house?"  Was there long discussions about the family history being started in this new establishment? 

Lo and behold, the "house" was built and I entered the world, just as God had planned and then began to be marked by life itself.  Sin began leaking into my life and making my "house" worn down.  Sometimes the sin that brought destruction to my house was of no fault of my own, and other times....oh other times, I brought the damage on myself.  It wasn't long before my "house" began to look as if it needed some repairs.  As my "house" weathered more days and more damage, it began to look as if it might indeed be beyond repair.  Perhaps it would be more cost effective to simply tear it down and start over?

Oh but that is not at all how God works! 2 Corinthians 4:16 assures us, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."  I am so thankful that God will always view me as a work in progress and a "house" worth saving! 

Oh there are definitely areas that need repaired, but the Master builder will be certain to provide the best care and needed repairs.  You know this makes me think of a song.  

It is an old Sunday School song, He's Still Working On Me The words are:

He's still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
Took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars
The sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still working on me

  Think I will have a necklace made with this image on it!  Blessings my friends, I am going to spend this season of Thanksgiving being thankful for the truth of Hebrews 12:2, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."