“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“Dude, I don’t know who lied to you, but you can pitch.”
My young player looked away from me to the pitching rubber and began wiping the dust off of it with his cleat. “Riiiight. Wanna bet?”
“Heck, yeah I want that bet!” I stuck out my hand to shake on it.
It was the first day of practice for the new baseball season. I lined up the players at the mound and had them throw to home plate to see who might have the skill needed to be a pitcher. I liked to try them out
at every position to find their best fit. Who knows? I might discover a future Nolan Ryan. (A coach can dream, right?)
The young boy shook my hand, but sheepishly said, “My last coach told me that I didn’t have what it took to be a pitcher. I tried, but he said that I had too many quirks to fix, and it would take too much work.”
“Well, I don’t know about his eyesight, but I picked you for my team because when you tried out I could see in the way that you threw the ball you had the potential to pitch.”
“Usually, I get stuck in right field.” he mumbled.
I poked his shoulder. “Hey! Right field isn’t a bad position to play. Some of the best players play right field. Have you ever heard of Babe Ruth? But I don’t think you will be there very much this season.”
He looked up at me from under the bill of his cap; this time with a little twinkle of hope in his eyes.
“You do have some habits to break and mechanics to change. We just may have to get you back to the basics to rebuild your form, but let’s give it a try. I’ll put in the work if you will.”
“Ok… I guess. Looks like this will be the summer of my disassemblement,” he mused.
I tried to mask my amusement at his misuse of the quote. But it made sense, and I went with it.
“Yes, it just might be. But, so worth it.”
You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
Currently, we are in the process of renovating our home. I am up to my ears in paint, tile, contractors, and mess. We’ve had to strip the house bare to be ready for construction. My house is a disaster area, which drives my type-A personality crazy. No matter where I turn, I am bound to be in the way of one contractor or another. (By the way, why do they have to start so early? Is the sun even up at 6:30 am?)
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).
To update my home and bring out the beauty I know she has in her, I have to make peace with living in a construction zone. For God to make me into the person He knows I can be, I have to make peace with being a construction zone. It feels like I am in a constant state of disassemblement. When one project is finished, God decides that I, as His home, need a little more improving. Aren’t you glad that Jesus was a carpenter? We can be confident that he has the expertise needed to bring us to a glorious completion.
My young pitcher discovered that the summer of his disassemblement wasn’t always fun. We spent many practices together working to make him into the pitcher I knew he could be. Neither of us gave up. I’m pleased to report that young man was elected as a pitcher into the all-stars that year.
Lord Jesus, it seems fitting that you were a carpenter. You know exactly how to repair the cracks in my foundation and sand off my rough edges. It may be hard and hurt sometimes as You complete the construction, but Lord, I desire to be a home that You are proud to live in. Have Your way in me—even if it is early morning. Amen
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