If The Bones Are Good

If The Bones Are Good

It’s rare to look at the brand new and consider how it could crumble. When our current situations seem hopeless, the new packaging offers hope, possibilities, renewal, fresh starts. We hop from new thing to new thing hoping the gilding won’t wear off this time.

What I know in this life, with absolute certainty, is that an exterior glow offers no promises for peace and security internally. There is just as much potential for beauty and pain in within the walls of a mansion as in a mud hut. Actor Jim Carey once said, “I wish everyone could get rich and famous for a little while, so they’d realize it doesn’t solve anything.”

These hardships we walk through are of no surprise to the Lord. In fact, He promised us we’d have troubles!

Lord, teach us to be present in the pain, rather than run from it. To be softness when everything is hardening around us. To be kindness when all is defaulting to ugly. Grace when revenge cries out to be exacted. An offering to You, with our whole lives, first and foremost, leaving the outcome in Your hands. May we allow you to transform our lives right in the midst of chaos, letting go of what we thought it was going to look like. Help us to embrace the fullness of what You have for us and take us to greater depths of knowing You…our raison d’etre.

The Lord calls us to build a foundation that can withstand every slammed door, every lost job, every accusation, every diagnosis, every disappointment, every betrayal, every loss, every sadness, every death and every dashed dream. There’s a popular song right now that sings, “the house won’t fall if the bones are good.” Jesus told us a long time ago how to do this.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 4:24-27.

But how does that play out in the day to day? The Lord calls us to the hands-on work of restoration and grace offering, when it’s the last thing that we actually want to do. He modeled stepping into our messy lives. With every word He spoke, He breathed life, encouragement, admonishment, His presence and His grace.