Tearing it down or building it…
I am absolutely amazed with the amount of building that is going on in our roads around the city! Does that mean the stimulus package is reaching the Metro? I’ll save that for another topic of discussion. As I drive around my town of Lee’s Summit, the highways are littered with construction signs, barrels, heavy equipment, trucks, and workers busy doing their jobs… Of course, they are an inconvenience to those who are running late to an appointment and it definitely slows down traffic!
I can’t believe how quickly they can tear things down! For example, there is a new interchange and exit ramp that is being built on 291 past Woods Chapel Road. If you drive by there, you can quickly see how they are building an overpass underneath 291. Can you believe how quickly they have dug the overpass and move dirt around? It is amazing how easily the roads are being torn down in order to build something else!
I think there is a life lesson in all of this! You can quickly tear down, but it takes more time to build up!
In every area of our lives, you can find that tearing down is not too difficult. You can slip up, unconsciously make a mistake, and even willfully be rebellious, and things get torn down quickly! One move of impropriety can result in a devastating catastrophe! You can see it everywhere! You can experience that in your own life! For example, last week, I went to Las Vegas to perform my brother’s wedding. Before going there, I had lost some weight and was feeling good about my diet and exercise. All of that was quickly turned around, as I went from one Filipino restaurant to another to eat the delicacies of our cuisine. My palate was thrilled to receive desserts I had longed imagined would taste so good! The five days of eating bliss quickly tore down my months of diet and exercise, as I gained five pounds. You say, “Five pounds, that’s nothing, Fel!” But those five pounds will take a while to lose and I will need an incredible amount of discipline to put aside my cravings!
Here are a few tips for those of us who know this truth: You can quickly tear down, but it takes more time to build up!
1. Remember the road signs–it’s easy to forget that construction is all around us! We are all under construction and need the grace that He alone can give to make it!
2. Remember the results–sometimes we forget that we have been down this same road before! It is insanity to think that you will get a different result from doing the same things!
3. Remember the real life–understanding that commitment, patience, endurance is the foundation of building any life or relationship. We wrap everything with love and that should make all the difference!
4. Remember reality–God never gives up…especially on you!
Hope this helps as you encounter the next construction detour…
4 Responses Leave a comment
Wow! I needed a reminder again of #2! I have had some problems with one of my children-pretty serious– and I just said to my hubby, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. A counselor told us one time that eventually, what we are trying to teach our children will finally sink in. In other words, do the same thing over and over and maybe there will be a change. We have handled the same situation over and over with consequences, lectures, etc., but no change. It is getting to the point of insanity as we try the same thing over and over and do not see any changes. If what the counselor said is true, will we finally get a different result? Or, do we need to change our methods? We are doing it our way and it doesn’t work, so God must have a different way. I’m praying about doing something different.
Terri,
May the Lord lead you in the right ways…listen to the voice of the Spirit! When we sow the seeds of life, we will reap those seeds that lead to life! Continue in the power of His Spirit…
Fel
commitment,patience,endurance.I have to remind myself of that all the time regarding my family.Gods teaching me.I have to react like he would.But it doesnt always work out the way you would like.I have to always remember to wrap it in love.
What a wonderful reminder! Thanks PF! All points great! Number 2 also really hit with me in working with my daughter on a habit she has had since the age of 2! No amount of nagging from good ol’ mom would help and it drained my energy! Well finally this week she made the decision to quit and she did! Praise GOD! Now for the orthodontist bills! God is so good!