Keep Checking
I saw something recently that reminded me of an incident and a conversation I had quite a few years ago. I’m glad that I saw what I did. I needed the reminder. It might be that you could also benefit from my reminder and my experience.
The incident occurred when our family lived in Dexter, Missouri. I was driving up to the house of one of the members of the congregation where I preached at that time. I thought it would be “just another visit,” but it turned into a life lesson (at least for me).
The brother I went to see was doing something to his own house that he did for a living for others. He was laying stones of different sizes and shapes to “dress up” the look of the structure. As far as I could tell, there was nothing being done that would affect what might be called the structural integrity of the house. What he was doing was more “cosmetic” in nature, but it was apparent that he wanted to do the best he could.
He was not laying bricks. That would be difficult enough for me, but at least bricks are all the same size and shape. Instead, he was laying stones of different sizes and shapes.
What caught my attention was something the man did as he laid each stone. He would measure the distance between the outside wall and the stone he was in the process of laying.
Some might think that this was a waste of time and effort. After all, if he measured carefully for the first row (course) of stones, it might be assumed that he could just build on that.
What would have happened, though, if he “guessed wrong” as he went along? Instead of enhancing the look of his house, the results would be terrible.
I’m thinking that many of us (please notice that pronoun) could learn something from a man who was trying to do the best job he could for his family and for himself. We may be going through life assuming that the lifestyle we have chosen, the doctrine we teach and by which we live, the way we have chosen to worship (or the fact that we have chosen not to worship), and so many other things are fine.
We might be well-advised to learn and apply a lesson that a man who was only trying to “dress up” his house taught a preacher. All of us need to keep checking.
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
