Have you ever walked through a house that wasn’t complete yet, only framed with beams? I’m not a person who can visualize the finished product. As we were walking thorough a friend’s house once, he was pointing to each area and informing us what would eventually be each room. He knew every detail of this house. He could envision where all the appliances would be, what the fireplace would look like, and where each of his children’s rooms would be. He knew what purpose each wooden beam served because this was HIS house. In his mind’s eye, his house was complete and finished. To me, it looked like a maze of wooden beams.
Sometimes that’s how I feel about life. It’s a maze of wooden beams. I can’t envision the finished product, I can’t understand the purpose of some of the wooden beams. But God can. God is the Ultimate Carpenter and He knows FULLY why each beam of our life exists and what HIS purpose is for it, because we are HIS. Every beam in our “house” has a purpose; every event, every hurt, every blessing, every person God brings into our life, everything has a purpose. We may not know what that purpose is this side of heaven, and I think that’s the hard part. One example of this is how this blog came to be. God had been adding beams for this to happen for years. The class I took on digital media, my journaling for the past 5 years, encouragement from others, they were all beams. Finally, when God knew I was ready, He nudged me by giving me the name, Devotions of Grace.
But we have to be open to allowing God to work on our “house”. God WILL use every beam in our house for His purpose and we can bring glory to Him. “And we know with great confidence that God who is deeply concerned about us causes all things to work together as a plan for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose” (Romans 8:28 AMP). I love Isaiah 61:1-3, where it says that God will comfort those who mourn and trade their ashes for beauty and their mourning for joy. We cannot hold on to bitterness because of some “beams” in our “house” and allow that to take root in our hearts. Job cried out, “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul” (Job 10:1 NIV). Bitterness can grow like weeds in our heart. It will spread along the foundation of our “house” and creep up every beam. It will choke out joy and cover the construction site. And when people see our “house”, all they will see is an abandoned site covered in weeds. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander” (Ephesians 4: 31 NIV).
Allow God into the construction site. He is the Master Gardner and can handle the “weeds”. He is the Ultimate Carpenter. He can replace any beams that are worn or rotten, unable to support His future plans for the house, and He can finish building. Go to Him, friend, and ask Him to expose any weeds that may be trying to take root. Ask Him to prune them and cultivate a heart of joy and thanksgiving. Ask Him to show you His purpose for your life and be open to His nudges. I want nothing more than to hear, “Well done” when I enter the gates of Heaven. I want to be obedient and open to God’s plan for my life. I’m not perfect by any means, but I think God’s grace fills in the gaps and He can bless our effort if we are sincere in heart. Thank you, friends for reading! Leave a comment, or contact me and share how God is working on your “house”. God bless!
Devotions of Grace 
Such a great analogy, especially when I can’t understand the bigger picture and how all these things are going to come together to make one beautiful masterpiece.
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Thank you so much!! Have a blessed week!
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Yes, to hear the words ‘Good & faithful servant at our life graduation in glory’ ahhhh!
Lovely having you drop by Crystal! 😀
Blessings,
Jennifer
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Thanks, Jennifer! And thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! 😃
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Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
As you know, the girls and I are on a mission trip and one of the challenges brought to us by our pastor is to reflect each day on how God is working in our life through the experiences we are having–or will have– this week. This Bible verse came to mind. He is indeed a master gardener, a master builder, and a master artist who seems to never be quite finished with us. But he has the blueprint, He has a plan, and He sees inside each of us the masterpiece He intends us to be. Great devotion at just the right time, Crystal! Thanks for this reminder!
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Elaine, I love that verse! It just made me think that if God prepared things in advance for me, then He created me just the way He wanted for me to carry out those works. Thanks so much for your comment and I’ll be praying for you girls this week! I pray you get blessings upon blessings this week and in the weeks to come! Love you!
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Quite encouraging and an excellent read! Keep up the good work, Crystal!
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Thank you, Kendra! That means a lot to me 😊
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Great illustration!
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Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my post! 😊 Have a wonderful day!
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You too! 😊
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God is “working on my house” by building my self confidence. I know that confidence comes from knowing who I am in Christ. I want to experience all He has for me and so I know being confident and bold in Him is a big part of that. I can’t let fear and insecurity hold me back.
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I love this! That our confidence is in our identity in Christ!
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Oh what a beautiful reminder that we have a Master Gardener in our corner who is weaving all things for our good.
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Yes He is! 😊
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Amen! Thank you so much! So timely! Just what I needed to hear at just the right moment, too. Very encouraging and helpful. God bless you!
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Thank you, Sue!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post!!
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You are welcome.
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Crystal, I love this! Lately, I have felt under construction but truly our whole lives are a work in progress…..I’m just now getting that. Thank you for this very insightful analogy! God bless you!! 💚🤗🙏
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Thank you, Vivian for your comment! Yes, thank God that he loves us so much that He continues to work on us making us all that we were created to be! 🙂
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