UNDER PRESSURE â—½ ENCOURAGEMENT
The House Lift
by Marcy Lytle
We’re trying hard to decide about something. We have these cracks in our walls that have been there for years. They used to appear in summer and then close up in fall, when rains came down. But for the past few years, the cracks have widened and become more numerous, and our fear was that our foundation was cracked! Finally, we had an estimator come look at the house, and thank goodness – the foundation is intact. The house just needs a lift on the back end.
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Maybe that sounds like a small thing, but it’s not! It’s still expensive, and we wonder if it will permanently fix the problem, or if the cracks will return. I wonder if our windows might shift and crack with the lift. And most of all, we both wonder if forking out the thousands of dollars is worth this house-lift. I mean, the cracks ARE unsightly, but we’ve learned to live with them…sort of.
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We have toyed over the idea all throughout the holidays, and here it is January – a time for all things new – and we still haven’t made a decision!
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Of course, all of these cracks and the idea of a lift has started my mind thinking…
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I too have cracks in my faith, in my emotions, in my stamina…all the things…for all the same reasons as my house! I’ve sat in one spot, rains and storms have come and gone, the heat has beaten fiercely, there have been times of drought, etc.
The cracks sometimes close up, when joy seeps in and fills them. But other times, they open wider, when I’m tired and exhausted from well…living. And while I’ve prayed many time for my cracks to heal up once and for all, they still appear from time to time!
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If we pay the money to have our foundation lifted, my thoughts run to the joy that might be mine when I look at my clean walls…without cracks. I might not be embarrassed to have guests over, and I might not stare at the branch-like cracks while I’m watching a show anymore – because they’ll be gone! That sounds lovely. But tearing up our yard, lifting the house, then having to repaint and move furniture – well that’s daunting. And what if the lift doesn’t even work? Well, that would be devastating!
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By now, there are some of you reading and thinking, “What is wrong with you? Get the work done!”
Maybe others are like me and have questions and think, “Yeah, that’s a big deal. Think it over more…”
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Back to my personal cracks and unsightly scars of living life for 68 years in this weather-beaten world of ours…sometimes those cracks serve as humble reminders of my flaws and my need of a Savior. Sometimes, I think the cracks in my walls at home remind me that things don’t have to be perfect in order to have guests over and serve. And I haven’t had the experience of God just wiping away all my flaws and cracks, anyway. He forgives my sins, YES, but those weaknesses I have – they serve to strengthen my reliance on Him and relate to others who are broken, just like me!
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I don’t know what we will do about our walls. I’m relieved that our foundation is secure, but I’m frustrated that our backend is sinking a bit. And the cracks tell the story.
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So, help a girl out here. What do you think? Should we fork out the thousands and lift our walls, have them repainted and push through the inconvenience of the time to repair? Or should we just fill in the cracks and hope for rain, and enjoy the cool “art” that they provide in those rooms on the back end?
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And those cracks in my own heart? He fills them every single morning, and new ones appear every single day, and this heart still sings and beats strong and well. Jesus does heal the broken heart, but the broken heart is what finds its solace in Him alone.