(TUESDAY – Reynosa, Mexico, 2006)
When I asked the lord where He would have me the next morning, Holy Spirit told me, “Construction.” It was strange because
he sent only two of us. So Mark and I spent the morning up there. We hauled cinder blocks from one pile to another. We enjoyed good conversation, about half of which, David joined us for.
It’s nostalgic for me to look back on this time, because since then, David has become a spiritual father to me. He lead me through not only this trip, but three more – with another on the way. He also married Kara and I just over a year ago. He’s an amazing man of God,and now that I think about – this was our first long conversation. We spoke of Israel, the Jews, their place in history and the future, and the Old Testament and many other things. As the morning wore on, I was struck by the fact that it seemed almost pointless to carry one brick at a time across the roof, but as we worked on, giant piles took shape. I imagined each rock as a soul, and each pile as a nation coming to Christ, one Soul at a time. Sometimes, the work we are doing seems small and insignificant, but if we follow God’s will for our lives, we can be assured that He is building something beyond our comprehension. And each little part is an important part of the whole. Of course, as we are trustworthy with the little things He gives us to do, He gives us more and more responsibility and opportunities to see Him move through us. Also, He doesn’t just want to use us individually, but together in unity.
Coming back and reading this, I am struck by how profound it is. The Lord has been teaching me a very similar lesson in just
the past few months, in large part through the teaching of a friend named, Sun. He has been showing me that we are all like stones. God is the master builder. The builder shapes each stone to fit. Once He has made the stone ready, He will put it aside until He has made the other stones ready which will go in the wall. He will use a plumb line to make sure that the wall is solid and straight. One stone by itself could be absolutely perfect, but by itself it is only a stone. It only becomes something greater when it is put in line with all the other stones, to make the mighty building. The lesson here is that not only do we need to make sure we are seeking God for all that He can grow us to be, but we must also help those around us grow to be all they can be. It is only when we are all made ready that God can do the biggest things that He has planned for us. Just as each stone, no matter how perfect,is useless by itself, in our lives, it is not just about us ourselves individually, but about the entire Body. The more united we become, the more obvious and powerful His message becomes.
Pass this along, and be a part of the building.