A Good Path

This evening I sat down in the corner of my beautiful new living room to read a novel. I’d only read it once before, so I was quite engrossed, and when I set the book down, to get something to drink, it struck me forcibly that God had given this beautiful room to me. So, okay, it’s only a living room—and what I’ve labeled the "man-hole" in the basement (a very pleasant room) and the master suite upstairs—but this is the time of year a lot of people come through my front door, and without exception (that I can recall, anyway) the universal response is, "Oh, this is nice!," and, "I love the colors!"

Now, I don’t really wish to "brag," as such, but I do wish to egg you on. God has done this, but He didn’t just plop it all in my lap. There were steps I had to take, and I have no idea how many times people just like me have opportunities just like mine and for one reason or another, don’t take the necessary steps. There was the house I owned, free and clear. There was the basic idea that was in my head when I woke up one morning.

But what if I hadn’t checked into the building regulations? Had the surveyors mark the boundary lines of the property? Driven to the building department to chat with the inspector for an hour? What if I’d remained too steeped in my old ideals, and refused to take out a loan? If I’d have been too afraid of hurting his feelings, and continued to work with a carpenter who just couldn’t catch my vision? I could have listened to my frugal self, and refused to install radiant heating, on the grounds that it’s too expensive. There were plenty of people who told me I didn’t want a step up into the master suite—even though it would have meant sacrificing height that I really wanted in the living room.

At every stage in the building process I had to choose between what I really wanted and what was cheapest. At every stage I had to choose between what I really wanted and what was easiest. And don’t even talk to me about, "you deserve it," or, "you only have one life, so you should do what you like," because those thoughts never entered my mind. God Himself had laid a challenge before me: would I be bold enough to believe Him when He said He was giving me carte blanche—a white paper—rather than a budget? At that point, faith demanded that I have built what I really wanted.

For you, it may not be a house. Soon this project will be finished, and even for me it will be something else. But I am quite certain that for all of us, it will always be something. Yes, God has made a way … but it’s up to us to walk in it.,

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