So I have to be a bit honest. Sometimes I look for God in cheesy things, and He speaks to my heart in cheesy ways but He speaks in ways that I understand. Which in this case is why my walk with Him is like ripping up the brick patio in our backyard. It's also like the run I went on yesterday, but that's different.
My job this week before I start my job (!!!!) next week is to rip out the bricks in our patio and pile them according to awesome bricks, bricks that are alright and we'll probably use, and bricks that just suck. May I mention that Connecticut decided that it's time to have weather like Thailand? This means high temperatures and higher humidity levels. This means I'm sweating. Like a dude. So I'm ripping out bricks, my hands are covered in dirt and I have salty water dripping down my face, my back and the backs of my knees, among other places. There was one spot today where ants kept insisting on boycotting my removing the bricks and were crawling everywhere which occasionally also meant on my hands. Or my feet. No me gusta. At one point a bead of sweat dripped off my nose. It was like in those movies where big guys play football in the rain and the rain drips off their noses all cool and everything, except I was gross. And I'm not even a third of the way done.
What does this have to do with following Jesus? I follow Him because I know that in the end, it's going to be beautiful and there will be a much better brick patio to hang out on. The process may be messy and I don't necessarily know which pile the brick should go in. Correction, the process is messy. I don't always know what I'm doing as a lover of Jesus. I get a lot of dirt on my hands because you have to get dirty to do a good job, and occasionally I'll wash my hands but usually they'll be dirty. I sweat, a lot. I sweat like a guy. For real. But it shows that I'm working, I'm trying, and even though the weather feels like Thailand, which is hot and humid, it's not going to stop me from getting my job done and getting it done well. Whatever the environment, the work needs to be done so I'll do it. Sometimes those stupid ants are everywhere and I hate them and they're crawling on me and why are they crawling on me when they can crawl on the ground and I really hate dealing with them and other bugs because I just don't want them to touch me but I'm ok, right? I survived. Then there's the bricks along the edge that don't come out. And you spend 10 minutes on 1 brick feeling like an idiot that it won't come out and there's a slug 2 inches from my fingers and it finally comes out! But then the next one won't come out. But then they're all out and it wasn't too bad and I didn't actually touch the slug and it's done! Until I get to the other side where there's more side bricks to
Then in the afternoon I take a water bottle and my bible and lay in the hammock in the shade and read me some Psalms and Proverbs. And I laugh about how God speaks to me when I'm ripping up our brick patio.
Following Christ means getting dirty, doing what I don't want to do, not always being pretty, and sometimes just pushing through because you know it can be done (these, among other things of course). But following Christ means pushing towards the prize, knowing that there is a Savior's love and redemption that some of the world doesn't know about and you know what? Everyone needs to be loved.
And the goal of a nice patio to hang out on, isn't going to just happen on it's own.
I don't make much sense do I? Good thing God speaks simply, like through a brick patio.
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