Finishing Details

The process of construction has always intrigued my interest and curiosity. That appetite was whetted when my grandfather invited me to spend the summer of my junior year in high school with him. He was going to remodel an old fishing cabin outside of Warsaw, MO into a retirement home for him and grandma and offered me a chance to help.

Learning new skills and experiencing the procedures of building a house filled my days with excited activity. We tore out old walls and added new construction on both sides of the existing structure. Pouring foundations, building walls, framing rafters, attaching sheeting, laying shingles, running wiring, plumbing water pipes, and adding insulation, sheet rock and siding all moved along quickly. Those activities brought the basic shape of the new house into view in a matter of a few weeks. What amazed me next (and brought a feeling of anxious impatience) was the slooooow process of finishing out all the details of the interior spaces in order to truly make it fit for living. Cutting trim, hanging doors, layering mud, building cabinets, wiring fixtures, casing windows – these steps all required much more time and skill as the speed of the project seemed reduced to a snail’s pace! Yet those were the details that would transform the sound structure into cozy living space.

As we step out in faith on the journey of following Jesus, the same excitement of new discovery helps to fuel our progress as we build a new life from the ashes of the old. Learning about Jesus, discovering the hidden treasures of God’s Word, finding new friends who are living for the Lord, changing my lifestyle to embrace good rather than bad, refocusing my schedule to put the disciplines of growing my faith in first place each day – all contribute to a new structure in my life that quickly takes shape. But the real lasting work comes as I begin to apply the things that are new to the “living spaces” of my life, and consistently apply the process of intricate change that works in my heart to shape my character and make me more like Jesus. That is when true freedom grips my life!

I grow stronger and deeper in my commitment to Christ with every correction and adjustment from the Holy Spirit abiding in me. Just as the finishing details on the renovation of that old cabin made it more suitable to live in, so Jesus applies ‘finishing details’ to our lives as we continuously seek Him!

How exciting to be His people,

Pastor David Vanderpool