Labor of Love

I have always been fascinated by architecture, even from a young age. I remember learning about different types of columns in school and then pointing them out to my family every time we passed one. I took pictures of every lighthouse and interesting building I came across on family trips. Later my scrapbooks became full of places like the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Buckingham Palace. I look at buildings now and I marvel at all it took to bring them to the place where they stand today. It takes a lot of work and careful planning to
build a lasting legacy.

Interestingly enough, I not only have an admiration for buildings, but I am actually pretty good at building things as well. I’m not talking about cathedrals or skyscrapers, but if a piece of furniture comes into the house needing to be assembled, I am called upon. It’s something my dad and I do together from time to time. And even though we don’t always start out enthusiastically when a project is looming over us, we always share a surge of pride when it is finished. As I started thinking about the process of building, I realized I have learned some very valuable lessons along the way.

I am no expert, by any means, but there are things you pick up after a while. First, it helps if you lay all the pieces out in the correct order. It’s also a good idea to make sure that all the parts are there and that you have the correct tools. Following the directions leads to greater success than trying to figure it out on your own, even if they seem to be taking you somewhere you didn't expect. And it helps to have a lot of patience. And a lot of faith that the steps will lead you to what you desire.

I think God’s heart for us is similar. He is constantly working on building us and our lives to be astonishing masterpieces. He is carefully laying out the pieces in the correct order so that we will become sturdy and useful. He requires patience and surrender on our part so that He can do His best work. He knows that when you combine the right pieces, in the right order, that your work of art will turn out just the way it was intended. And when He stands back and looks at what He has put together, God is so very proud.

With perfect timing, I’ve also been learning about a building project that God was very interested in throughout the Old Testament. For days, I have read about the many different specifications that He desired in building the Tabernacle. I have to admit that after pages of descriptions, I started to wonder what I could take away from the passages. I know the entire Bible is God-breathed and important, but the chapters on this subject seemed to be endless and irrelevant to me personally. Unless I had missed a divine assignment, I wasn’t planning to construct a tabernacle any time soon. I wondered why God would take the time to be that specific. And why would He be so detailed and decide to record it for generations of people to read?

And then it hit me.

The thing the Holy Spirit was trying to get me to see is that God is a God of details. He is in everything. He is right here. Right now. As I type these words and as you read them, God knows exactly what you and I are going through and what we need. He sees the place we are in, the questions we are asking, and the challenges we are facing. And He knows the desires of our heart. And if He cared enough to plan out every single detail of the building of the tabernacle, then I think we can trust that He is in every detail of our lives too because "He made us and He personally knows our heart" (Kupecky, Kelsey: The Chase).


God is not surprised by the season we are in or the blueprint we are holding in our hands. He knows what the end piece is supposed to look like and He knows what it is going to take to get there because not only Has he read the directions, but He wrote them as well. God has carefully laid out all the pieces and we must trust that He will put them together in the right order and in the right way. 

The question is not one of is God with us, but rather are we are inviting Him to be there? Are we willing to trust that He has orchestrated every little thing down to the last detail and are we ready to follow His plan even if it looks hard or scary? Are we willing to let go of our control and believe that He is in every situation?

No matter what stage you are in right now, don’t give up on the carpenter. He may work slowly. He may make a mess in the process. And at times it may look like He doesn’t know what He is doing, but He does. He sees the whole picture. And He is building with love. With purpose. With intention. 

He is building His greatest labor of love. 

-Only Hope