Submitted
by Stacey McKenzie, Ukraine
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: 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. “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: and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it
fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew
7:24-26
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
The roads in many
parts of our town in Ukraine can accurately be described as rubble! Crumbling
rocks, huge and numerous potholes, and in many places, just mud and debris. We
have grown accustomed to swerving and dodging the large crater like holes while
driving, and avoiding the other cars that are doing the same.
What surprised me
most, however, is the way in which the holes are repaired. Old bricks, ceramic
tiles, and rocks are crushed and then put into the holes. The first time I saw
this I was shocked and a little apprehensive about driving over the sharp
shards of brick and tile that peeked out. I also thought that it didn’t seem
like the best way to fix the roads, and I was right. With the next big rain, all
that crushed brick and tile washed away and littered the already rubble filled
roads. Once the sun returned, the streets were swept up, the rubble gathered
and once again placed in the holes. This process is repeated with each rain or
windstorm. It seems like a futile exercise but there is no money to properly
fix the roads.
This situation
reminds me of how we sometimes approach God with our weaknesses and sins. We
have areas in our lives that need healing, forgiveness, or restoration. We need
to repent and give God the “rubble” in our lives and let Him make us a new creation.
We need to trust Him during the storms and not gather the rubble back with each
wind. God’s healing and forgiveness is perfect and complete.
Lord, help me to stop trying
to fix myself. I ask You for the healing,
restoration or forgiveness that only comes from You. I pray for our
missionaries as they minister to those with shattered lives, that their eyes
and hearts will receive Your grace and mercy.
