Sawdust, tile, sheet rock, nails….
I am up to my ankles in building materials this week because we are doing a semi-remodel of the kitchen. We had a very old 27” drop-in stove and it finally went up in smoke, literally. We found it was cheaper to get an average range and remodel to accommodate it versus buying another drop-in. The problem we had with this was the inconvenience. We honestly pondered the idea of spending almost $600 more to get around it. I mean, we seriously considered it. Can you believe that?
We finally realized how foolish that was and decided to begin demolition. Of course, I tried to cut every corner possible. “Save that! Maybe we can use if for something else.” I didn’t want to get rid of anything. I also gave my $.02 worth when it came to the supplies that were needed. I assumed that we could just use what we had. Why did we need a trowel and tile sponges? Why can’t we use a kitchen sponge and flat blade knife?
My brother the engineer/construction guy insisted that if he was going to do this job then it needed to be done right and he would also need these tools. He said we couldn’t use old warped wood because the tile wouldn’t lay right. He said he was not going to be a part of any project that was done so poorly. Then, my 20 something brother began to preach to me about foundation and structure and how I could make it look like a million bucks cosmetically but it still wouldn’t matter if it collapsed because the structure was weak.
sigh…. Can you hear God’s voice already?
1 Corinthians 11:1
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
Our Lord doesn’t pretend to be good, He is good. He didn’t put a smile on his face and calm the tone of his voice just to be aesthetically pleasing. He did it because that is who He was as a man. If I am to imitate Him then I must do it from the inside out. I need a good structure or else I will collapse under pressure. This has happened to me many times before. I have slipped up and revealed my true insides in front of others. This happened because I tried to modify my behavior instead of letting God change my heart. Being Christlike is a result of loving Him. It can be hard work to change your heart but it is the only way to imitate Christ.
I want to be as true and strong as my new kitchen!
Thank you, Father for speaking to my heart even in day to day tasks. Amen.
Ephesians 6:6
Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.
Thanks for the post at CWO. Your blog is wonderful…I’ll visit more. I love your blog designs and am thinking of placing an order soon…I’m interested in learning a little about web design myself and having started reading. It was encouraging to see that is how you learned. I love to write, (especially as an outlet to work out my salvation with fear and trembling) and blogging has been so good for me. It was also fun to find out your are a fellow Louisianian! My husband and I are from the Alexandria area but moved away about 15 years ago. He and my son are actually in New Orleans today after going to the National Championship game at the Superdome last night. Geaux Tigers! Glad to have found you. In Christ, B.