Inch by Inch
A good friend of mine is re-roofing his house right now. I got to help him yesterday. I think he said it is a 10/12 pitch. I'm not sure, but whatever it is is steep! It was covered with ice and snow. Thankfully my friend is really qualified to do a roof like his in the winter. He is a builder, and knows what can be done, because He has seen many projects like this started and finished...I have not!
Before I set one foot one the scaffold, all bundled up in my carharts and winter boots , barely able to move, I looked up at two of my friends on the snow and-ice covered roof and thought "this is insane." My next thought was "well, we might not get anything done, but at least i'll have a good story and my friend will know I love him." ...and up I went.
When I got up on the roof and felt how each inch of the roof itself was actually covered in ice...with friction not really even an option...the task seemed even crazier! A little old couple drove by, stopped, and pointed, this didn't make me feel any better. But once I was in place, my friend explained how the boards he was nailing to the roof would give us a foothold. We were going to take our time starting at the top and stripping shingles in manageable sections, working our way down the roof. Ok...inch by inch, everything is a sinch...I could hear my dad's voice (and my Father's voice).
Sure enough, within two hours, we had one half of the roof stripped, and we were putting tar paper on it. Once i got used to moving around on the roof it didn't seem so crazy anymore. Once we started seeing some results, i started to see what a smart builder my friend is.
God taught me a ton yesterday. He is doing something huge in the world right now...He is doing big things in my city and my family. He has set a big plan in my path. What He has set His desire to accomplish all around me seems so overwhelmingly big...nearly impossible...but, He has a plan. As I look at it from a distance, it seems overwhelming, but as i get into place, He will explain what is next. Like my friend, God gives details as needed. It wasn't until I was in place and started working that I learned how it would all come together.
My buddy is a great builder, but He has nothing on God:
Job 38:4-7. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
My friend invited me to come help Him, because he intends to finish his roof, and he knows perfectly well how to do it. God has invited me because He has some pretty grand intentions, and He knows perfectly well how to accomplish them. My good friend's roof is going to get done with or without me, but when I said yes to being a part of his project I got a chance to show him I love him, a good story, and a great experience.
What God intends to do will be accomplished with or without me, too. I want to join Him in it...He REALLY knows what He is doing. Success is a guarantee when I agree to be a part of what God is doing.
I could have avoided helping my friend. I could have looked up at the roof and said it was too hard for me, or that i just remembered i had something else to do...you name it, i could have wiggled my way out of it. But, if i would have given in to fear or "reason," then i would have missed being a part of something much bigger than me, and much more exciting than what most of my days are filled with.
God knows what He is doing. Nothing is too big for Him. You always hear the phrase "If He called you to it, He will get you through it." You always hear that one because it is true! He knows exactly how to get you through it.
Isaiah 28:23-29 Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention. Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail. Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn't pulverize it. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.
Before I set one foot one the scaffold, all bundled up in my carharts and winter boots , barely able to move, I looked up at two of my friends on the snow and-ice covered roof and thought "this is insane." My next thought was "well, we might not get anything done, but at least i'll have a good story and my friend will know I love him." ...and up I went.
When I got up on the roof and felt how each inch of the roof itself was actually covered in ice...with friction not really even an option...the task seemed even crazier! A little old couple drove by, stopped, and pointed, this didn't make me feel any better. But once I was in place, my friend explained how the boards he was nailing to the roof would give us a foothold. We were going to take our time starting at the top and stripping shingles in manageable sections, working our way down the roof. Ok...inch by inch, everything is a sinch...I could hear my dad's voice (and my Father's voice).
Sure enough, within two hours, we had one half of the roof stripped, and we were putting tar paper on it. Once i got used to moving around on the roof it didn't seem so crazy anymore. Once we started seeing some results, i started to see what a smart builder my friend is.
God taught me a ton yesterday. He is doing something huge in the world right now...He is doing big things in my city and my family. He has set a big plan in my path. What He has set His desire to accomplish all around me seems so overwhelmingly big...nearly impossible...but, He has a plan. As I look at it from a distance, it seems overwhelming, but as i get into place, He will explain what is next. Like my friend, God gives details as needed. It wasn't until I was in place and started working that I learned how it would all come together.
My buddy is a great builder, but He has nothing on God:
Job 38:4-7. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
My friend invited me to come help Him, because he intends to finish his roof, and he knows perfectly well how to do it. God has invited me because He has some pretty grand intentions, and He knows perfectly well how to accomplish them. My good friend's roof is going to get done with or without me, but when I said yes to being a part of his project I got a chance to show him I love him, a good story, and a great experience.
What God intends to do will be accomplished with or without me, too. I want to join Him in it...He REALLY knows what He is doing. Success is a guarantee when I agree to be a part of what God is doing.
I could have avoided helping my friend. I could have looked up at the roof and said it was too hard for me, or that i just remembered i had something else to do...you name it, i could have wiggled my way out of it. But, if i would have given in to fear or "reason," then i would have missed being a part of something much bigger than me, and much more exciting than what most of my days are filled with.
God knows what He is doing. Nothing is too big for Him. You always hear the phrase "If He called you to it, He will get you through it." You always hear that one because it is true! He knows exactly how to get you through it.
Isaiah 28:23-29 Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention. Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail. Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn't pulverize it. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.
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