The Joy of Building

The other night I (Dave), was waxing philosophical on the joys of building stuff. I had just polished off the stack of framing lumber that had been delivered to our house a few weeks ago. No longer were there just a bunch of sticks of 2x lying outside in a tidy (mostly) bundle, but they turned into walls, door jams, base plates, and shower enclosures. Anyone who has built something knows this feeling of taking what is an inanimate pile and turning it into something that is yours. Conceived in your mind, built with your hands, and eventually enjoyed by your family. God made us to be builders because He is the builder. He takes what is formless and lifeless and conceives, crafts, and builds what is beautiful, enjoyable, and His. So many aspects of life mirror this building quality of God, yet none more than family. That God sees fit to bless us with spouses, and children, pets, plots of land, careers, hobbies and gives us the opportunity to start building is an amazing picture of His grace in our lives (Jeremiah 29:4-7). Whatever phase of life and building we find ourselves, I pray that we build what will last after we are gone, that we will build on what really matters. Was it a coincidence that Jesus made His living as a framer?