Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Sand or Rock? Are those really the only options?

Many years ago, my great-uncle built a house. While it was still a phantom in his head, he rubbed his beard and thought. Maybe I should have a basement as a foundation. As he gathered the materials, he cocked his head to one side and pondered. Maybe I should just do a concrete foundation. One day, it was decided. He would build the house on posts and perhaps come back to the other options later.

Now, all these years later, he had decided to put more posts at the corners. He was even talking about placing a full foundation under the house. At this juncture, a full foundation would be a task and a half. There would be crawling under the house. Then, in that cramped, ill-lit space, there would be digging out the dirt, laying down a form to guide the concrete, pouring and raking the concrete all over the area. It is a complicated affair, with that house in the way and all.

Of course, it would likely not be my great-uncle under there. The running joke around my family is that my dad is chained to Uncle Johnny's back porch. If there is ever a project out at his house that needs doing, nine times out of ten my dad is the one who they call on. As he was explaining this new project of my great-uncle's, a thought took root in my brain.

I began to think of my marriage and how it was like this house. You see we were young and in love. We talked about almost everything. We had prayed and had confirmation from God. Our beginning was good. There were mistakes made that I won't go into here, but it was a good start. There were other things we could have done, options we had discussed. We talked about my going to live with my dad and finishing my degree. We could have done a full pre-marital counseling program (ours we found out just before the wedding hadn't been that). We could have extended the engagement. We could have spent more time learning (not just telling one another) each other's strengths and weaknesses. We could have learned one another's love languages. The list could go on. The thing is that these would not have necessarily guaranteed a different result. But I will get to more on that later.

The posts that my great-uncle settled upon aren't bad. They have supported the house these many years and will keep doing so for many years to come. So, why change anything? A little while ago I stumbled upon a thought in C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. He argued that we ought not think of things as only good and bad. Instead, we should look at things in terms of good, better, best and bad, worse, worst. The posts were good, but a foundation would have been best.

The foundation of my marriage was good. But it could have been better. It could have been the best. I don't look at this as an "Oh, would that the hands of time bent to my will" moment. This would not have magically waved away our problems. Wounded people - I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one gets through this life unscathed - living with one another will injure one one another. There is no safety in vulnerability, there is security in Christ. Those closest to us have the greatest capacity to injure us. They can injure us with what they know and what they don't know.

For now, my great-uncle has decided to just put in a few extra posts (with a silent *whew* from my dad, I think). Trying to go back and put in a full concrete foundation at this point would be quite an undertaking. There is a big house ontop the spot now. It is full of stuff, good and bad. As to my situation, the work would be just as difficult. There is a house full of past words and actions, good and bad. It would take a good deal kneeling in prayer and humbleness. It would take a good deal of digging up those misconceptions about marriage, ourselves, and eachother. It would take a good deal of uprooting those lies we believed about marriage, ourselves, and eachother. It would take a good deal of cleaning out those wounds we received before and during marriage. It would take a good deal of restructing the form into what marriage should look like. Finally, it would take a good deal of mixing forgiveness, compassion, and perserverence and pouring that mixture into the form.

Another thing came to mind. That story from Sunday school about the man that built his house upon the sand and the man that built his house upon the rock. The man whose house was on sand lost it all when the storm came. But the man who built it on the rock did not. So, where does good, better, and best fit in here?There doesn't seem to be any middle ground there. You won't find any either. The thing is that we, or at least I, will often do what is good enough. Not necessarily out of any real laziness. Why build the house all the way up there on that rock? This area looks good. It is far enough from the water. Besides, it isn't really practical to drag groceries all the way up that hill everyweek. And it may work for a little while or for an entire life time. There is a way to do things that are good and still not have things work out. So, when they don't I have to look back now and see that maybe I didn't do the bad thing, but I also didn't do the best either. It isn't to beat myself up. But when I want to look at God and ask what on earth He was thinking, I have a reason to look back and check whether my foundation was actually the one He wanted for me or if it was just good.

In all my musings about this, I have come to a conclusion. Whether that relationship is ever rebuilt or not, it is going to be my intention to not settle for good. I want to strive for best. I don't mean the best car or jeans. What God has for me is what is best. I mean going the full measure. Not just to where I feel comfortable. I won't wade in His grace. I mean to lanch myself headlong into it. I can't give any concrete example at this point in time. For now it is a heart attitude, to no longer sip the water he offered the woman at the well or nibble the bread he spoke of to the Jews. The best foundation I can lay out now is to trust God. I know I keep harping on that point. It took me 22 years of walking with Him to really get what it means through my head. So I will likely go on saying it. For I know, I still haven't grasped it to its fullest measure.

2 comments:

  1. I realy appreciate your honesty in this subject. It is not easy to look back on your past decisions and knowing what you know now thinking what was the best. This road of recovery we all travel on is layed with pitfalls and false lables. Our quest is to travel it with our guide telling us what foot to put where. We don't always step lightly but as long as we get to where He wants us that is what makes us His. Luv ya! -anna

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  2. Words of great wisdom here. That's definitely something I should be thinking about in my marriage and all areas of my life. Am I doing what is best or simply what is good? God knows I should never be doing what is bad or worst. We must always strive to do the best thing, not simply what is good or better and should simply shove away even the very thought of doing evil. Lately I have come to the realization that seeking God really is the only way to find happiness, security, and peace. He indeed made us that way, and if we seek him first, everyone around us will benefit for it even if in a small way ^_^ Once again, I'm very encouraged by your growth as a Christian, and I'm very glad you're posting the things that you are. Love you, and may God continue to guide you in the way you should go!

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