Clay in the Hands

As I have mentioned several times oner the last month or so, we are knee deep in renovations on a home here in Littlefield.  This week has had me playing catch up, trying to get a bathroom back to the realm of being functional.

The biggest item on the To Do list in that regard has been getting the drywall up and floated.

I am in no way accomplished at this process but I have done it enough to know a few things.  For starters, it takes drywall mud, paper tape, a tape knife to apply the mud and a lot of patience.  I also know that the amount of texture needed to hide the mud work is directly related to how well that mud work is done.  In other words, if the finished product of covering nails and joints in the drywall is not smooth, it will take a lot more texture to cover it up.

This week I have been fighting that battle.  But here are some things I have learned:

1)  It is a process that takes patience.  The mud goes on wet and then must dry before the process can continue.

2)  The smoother I make things on the front end, the less work it takes once the mud is dry in the way of sanding.

3)  The quality of the finished product is directly related to the amount of patience and time I put into the process.

4)  Sandpaper is my friend.

Now why would I go into all of this here in this post?  Well, it occurred to me about 10:45 on Tuesday night as I was trying to get the mud smoothed out that there are a lot of similarities between trying to float a wall and growing along my spiritual journey.

This whole discipleship thing is a process.  It takes patience and a commitment to the finished product.  Becoming more like Jesus does not happen over night – it takes time – a lifetime in fact.  BUT, it doesn’t just happen.  It takes dedication and work on our end.  The harder we work at it now, the more rich our experience will be later on.

Just as sanding is necessary to smooth the lines in the mud once it has dried, God uses bumps along our path to mold and shape us – sand us if you will.  I have said this before, but God is more concerned about who we become than what we look like right now.  This journey in the Way is one of smoothing and shaping, of growing and learning.

My prayer for us today is this:  Lord, may you help us to grow to be something even more beautiful.  May we become the people you intend for us to be – a creation pleasing to you!