Insufficient Facades

Today I had the rare opportunity to visit my childhood home.  The home was built by my father and I recall it taking much much longer than a normal build.  A matter of fact, I don’t think it was ever totally finished.  There were a series of childhood snapshots that filtered through my mind, some good, many not-so-good.  After my parent’s divorce my young wife and I bought the home and with the exception of our first two daughters not much happiness was in that home.

Interestingly enough, I shared a dream I recently had with my wife a few days ago that my childhood home was being renovated and the cedar siding was being covered with a beige siding.  Oddly enough, my wife peaked in the MLS and found that it was now for sale and yes – had light colored vinyl siding on it.  I don’t believe in coincidences …

We sold the home because of the excessive repairs and upkeep that I couldn’t handle at the time, and …to start over.  We started our marriage anew about the same time that we moved from that home.

The home has had several new owners and is now in foreclosure.  The grass was grown up and had overcome the driveway, the wood rotten from seasons of neglect was only partially covered with vinyl siding.  The inside was haphazardly remodeled, but it seemed not one project had been completed – just as I remembered it.  The septic system now failed, the house vacant and no one to care for it, she sits silently.  The facade of new paint and partial vinyl was superficial at best.

The World Left Behind

As I stood first in the yard and then in the house, all I could think was ‘Wow, it’s smaller than I remember…”  Some walls had been moved, different paint and counter-tops stood out, but for the most part it was as I remember it.  It reminded me of a different period in my life, before I heeded the call of Christ and before I realized how truly precious my marriage was.  Whereas I have regrets of a past life, they are becoming distant and serve only as a reminder of how powerfully God has moved in our lives.

Foundations and Dirt

Standing there in the yard shaking my head at how cursed this home felt, I didn’t feel pity for myself or the home.  It registered in me that the land around the home and the foundation were solid and unchanging.  It was promising to know that the right person could put the work and effort into the location and make a wonderful home.  I stood there and put a prayer together – not about the home, but about people who have facades covering rotting wood and need the right person or “builder” to come and tear down the old and re-build anew.

I prayed for the church to be the builder on Christ’s behalf, but I prayed that I would be able to see the foundation and the soil in people and ignore the history of the “home”.

Tags: building, church, forgiveness, grace, people, shame