“Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.” Isaiah 44:24
My life feels like an HGTV show. Our church has been going through a building expansion and remodeling. We recently added a new Family Life Building which is not complete. Construction is currently underway on the interior. The church kitchen and a couple of Sunday School classrooms are torn apart in various stages of remodel. New built-in bookcases are being added to my office. Everywhere I turn, I am tripping over tools and lumber.
At home, it is no different. When our family moved to Southeast Kansas, we purchased a Victorian house which is over 130-years-old. My wife, Amanda, watched a couple of episodes of “Fixer Upper” and somehow the thought got into her pretty head that I have all the skills to renovate our house. Last week, Amanda came into where I was working and said, “Since you have been working on this house, I have really grown closer to the Lord.” I said, “Is that because the beauty of my work makes you think of heaven?” She said, “No, not heaven. Your work makes me think of the other place.”
The problem is our house is crooked – out of level. You can see it in the floors, the ceilings, the roofline, the door jambs, even the window frames. Since I am trying to keep as much of the original materials as possible, it is difficult to use reclaimed wood which is twisted and broken.
I have always admired how a master carpenter can take pieces of salvaged wood and out of them build something beautiful. If you’re human and living on this planet, pieces of your life are twisted and broken. Chances are you have seen parts of your life break apart – dreams, relationships, promises, and hearts. We’ve all experienced broken pieces. Our lives need the hands of a carpenter.
I don’t believe that it was merely coincidence that the Lord Jesus Christ was a carpenter. After all, since the beginning of time, He has been a builder. His hands built the planet on which we stand. His hands built the sky on which we gaze. His hands even built us in the womb. And those same hands that built the universe can take all the twisted and broken pieces of your life and build until your life turns out to be something beautiful.
Your part is to let Him have all the pieces. Bring to Jesus all your brokenness – your sorrows, losses, frustrations, hurts, and wounds. Give Him your broken dreams, relationships, promises, and broken hearts – all of it. Put them all into the Carpenter’s hands. You don’t have to struggle with your life. You can put your life into Jesus’ hands because His hands are the hands of a carpenter. He is the Master Carpenter of life. So, let Him be the Carpenter of your life.
The point is: Today, give the Lord any part of your life or heart that is or has been broken. Then let the Master Carpenter redeem the broken pieces and build your life into something beautiful.
Let Jesus be your Carpenter, and you will be sure it’s built right.
James Collins is the senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church where “Drive-In” Church will be held tomorrow at 11 am. For more information, go www.fortscottfsbc.com.