Some Assembly Required

As parents who have faced the task of putting together a toy on Christmas Eve can attest, “some assembly required” is an understatement. The job usually takes much longer and produces more sweat and frustration that we expect. My friend David Cates used this illustration in his sermon yesterday, challenging us to the task of “being builders.”

David’s sermon and illustration got me to thinking about the fact that all of us have the opportunity to build something—a life, a family, a church. Often we have the chance to do all three. As we do so, we discover that there are both internal and external aspects to building.

Internally, we have to do the hard work of clarifying our purpose in life—as a person, a family, or a church. This comes as a result of knowing our values, discovering our strengths, and then setting our course. As we do the hard internal work, we achieve external results.

At the same time, there are external concerns we must address. We are part of a community, and we must determine how that community can either help or hinder our progress in building. We are impacted by our culture and exegete it to find resources to help in our task. Finally, we count the cost and make adequate plans to “pay the price” needed to build a life, a family, or a church.

As David observed, “As we practice building, we get better at it.” What are you building?

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