Building for the Future

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

For years now we've been building our house our home our family. God has given us the privilege and the challenge to use our own hands to put together a home that is as close as possible to His design. Clearly He has given us a detailed format and layout to use as a guide and a goal. Even after the planning, preparing, and studying, we've found how much we know about very little. Sometimes it be-comes frustrating to figure out how something works best well after we needed it.

The floor after years of child raising we've realized how important the flooring is in our home. It must be solid. Something our children can stand on in all confidence. A foundation built on Who God is and how they can grow to glorify Him.

The walls built by their father, must represent his authority, devotion to God, and deep love for them. Walls built by their father can give children a place to live, learn Who their God is, and how to enjoy Him forever. They can rest in the knowledge that God has placed their Daddy in their lives to love them, provide for them, and train them in the way they should go. They are safe in these walls, and can hereby experience true joy and freedom, knowing the boundaries and, therefore, their security.

The windows we've discovered are a necessity in order for them to have a clear view through the wisdom of God's Word how He desires us to view the world around us. The blinds must be up so they can see and gain a godly perspective on their world.

The doors we've found the doors must be able to open into our lives. Our children must have a clear communication line open with us. We must be willing to talk and express our feelings, even The walls built by their father, must represent his authority, devotion to God, and deep love for them. when this requires acknowledgement of our weak-nesses. Doors in our home must open from both sides with no locks.

Decorations and furnishings we've decided can fill our home with joy and peace. Times of family worship and shared laughter decorate our lives forever. Our home must be a place filled with laughter and lots of noisy conversation.

We're still building. We know our goals and deep desires for these children's lives. We have also found it frustrating to see ourselves building this home at the same time we're residing here. It's far from complete. We sit on the porch each night and discuss where we are in our building, and what our tasks should be for tomorrow. We've come to realize that this house will not be completed before our children have been raised and, therefore, we will not be able to live in this house with our children after it's built. Yet the other night we realized who would reside in this house we've put our lives into. This is all a part of God's incredible design.

We're building a firm foundation for our children to raise their children on. It is our prayer that our children will raise their children here. We can almost hear the future joy and laughter that will fill these walls as they reside here in a house designed by our Lord and once built by two.