I am a retired General Building Contractor enjoying my easy chair more and more each day than ever before. It gives me time to write and post my writings to the blog I created and enjoy visiting with my wife. I was just commenting to her that two people had an impactful influence on my life in positive ways.
One of these individuals was a
building contractor that attended the same church as me when I was a
teenager. After Sunday evening service
he approached and asked me what I was going to do after graduating high school;
I was in my senior year. I told him that
I wasn’t sure, and then he said, “See me when you do.”
After I graduated a few days
later, I went directly to his office that week and was hired on the spot. He specialized in fence building, and the
construction of patio covers, sundecks, and room additions.
Shortly after I was hired, he
was instrumental in securing a spot for me in the local Carpenter’s
Apprenticeship Program. No doubt this
was God’s providence concerning me.
This man was patient and
taught me the fundamental principles of teamwork, showing up on time, and most
importantly, working hard and staying busy.
He was a stickler for company loyalty and believed strongly in eight
hours labor for eight hours pay…no goofing off.
Under his supervision, I
became proficient in using the tools of the trade. He helped me to become a skilled carpenter
during the time I worked for him.
Later, as I progressed in
knowledge and experience, God sent another man my way that wanted me to build a
six-car garage on his property. He was a
car buff and needed a place to store his vintage cars out of the harsh weather.
He also wanted to build a
huge, redwood deck around his pool and patio area. At the same time, he was contemplating the
idea of converting his existing three car garage into a large game room.
He handed me a set of plans to
peruse and after looking at them and feeling overwhelmed, I apologized and said
that I was too busy to do the job. He
responded with a rebuff, saying, “No, you’re not too busy, you’re just afraid
to tackle it!”
He didn’t stop there… “You
need to do this for you! It will give
you confidence to do anything you set your mind to do in the future!” It sounded like something my dad would say to
me.
If that wasn’t enough, he
continued, “I have confidence that you can do the job, and I will help in
dealing with the subcontractors and getting these plans approved through the
City Building Department.” I thought he
was finally done, but no.
He finished his rhetoric with
this, “I won’t take no for an answer!”
After all his convincing words, I hesitantly committed myself to do the
work. It was a leap of faith. I was scared.
All the way through the
project to completion everything went smoothly.
The day finally came that the garage, deck, and game room were
finished. I was extremely pleased with
myself and elated that God, at the onset, gave me the intestinal fortitude to
take on the challenge and step out in faith.
The confidence and
self-assurance that I gleaned was unprecedented. After this project, I was not afraid or timid
in any way to tackle new jobs no matter how extensive or complicated they were.
God put these two men in my
path to impact the rest of my life and help implement His purpose and perfect
will. Whether dealing with angels,
unaware, or handpicked individuals that God uses to bring about His plan in our
life, He is working on our behalf, all for our good. The Lord wants the best for us, but we need
to step out in faith…maybe, a leap of faith.
(Psalm 37:23-24), “The
steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” (vs
24) “Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds
him with His hand.”
To regress a bit, I remember
several details on the plans showing the foundation and footing designs. I thought they were an overkill, but the
architect/engineer wanted to make sure that no failures occurred, so he over
designed the concrete work.
This is what the designer
wanted, so this is what I gave him. A substantial
foundation is always the best policy when building any kind of structure. A parallel story regarding building is found
in the Bible.
(Matthew 7:24-27), “Therefore
whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise
man who built his house on the rock:” (vs 25) “and the rain descended, the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall,
for it was founded on the rock.” (vs 26) “But everyone who hears these sayings
of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house
on the sand:” (vs 27) “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house; and it fell.
And great was its fall.”
Life is similar. We can build it on sand and watch our attempts
at success fail before our very eyes, or we can build our life on the solid
foundation of faith in God and possess the confidence that it will support all
our efforts and not fail.
(Romans 8:28), “And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to His purpose.”
Jesus is the solid rock upon
which to construct our life that will never fail when storms press in. We can rest assured that Jesus will support
our journey through the ups and downs that life brings our way.
We will walk in confidence, like
the confidence I was blessed with after completing the garage, deck and game
room. With God on our side, we need not
fear to take a leap of faith, because of Who He is.
(Romans 8:31), “What then
shall we say to these things? If God is
for us, who can be against us?”
www.wordsfrompapa.blogspot.com
Written by,
Papa Boyd
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