Raise The Roof

Day 20 Doxology:  Wow, today marks the half-way mark through our Lenten Discipline of doxologies for 2020.   Maybe that should be today's doxology all it's own?  But, I think I have a better moment of deep contemplation that ended with a hardy "Praise God."

J-2 and her husband (who looks like an extra on the set for the Game of Thrones) decided to remodel their almost 100 year old home's bathroom.  The blue and white dime-size tile screamed for updating.  Their plaster ceiling and walls looked cool, but once you started to try and remove the spider-web cracked material it proved to be more durable than it seemed.  The large amount of physical labor makes one question, Remind me why did we decide to do this?  Finally, you are through the layers of timed material to discover a Good-Golly Miss Molly kind of trouble.

When they unearthed the layers of cement and tile they discovered an interstate of very rotten floor joist.  Once the boards came in contact with the breathable air they crumbled under the weight.  In fact, before the floor could be removed more bracing was paramount.

As I rubbed my arthritic shoulder, I started to compare the deteriorated floor to our own lives.  So many times we have hidden so many things deep down that we need so that we can be structurally sound.  We hide the rot hoping that it is never uncovered.  But, when it comes to light, it crumbles.

I had a good friend that once said, "We should come to church naked."  As many of you that are reading this may pause and shutter at the thought, I understood his point.  We come to church with years of plaster and tile hiding the rot and decay that we hope is never seen.  We act as if we've got this, but in truth we are one floor joist away from ending up in the basement.  What if we didn't try to hide all of our imperfections?  What if we had nothing to hide them behind?

So...my daughter's bathroom may look nasty and a complete mess right now, but before long it will be rebuilt from the ground up better than ever.  Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  It seems to me that good things come to those that are willing to endure the hardship of revealing the rot and decay, it seems like that is how you can raise the roof!  Whoop! Whoop!