PENTECOST XVI
September 25, 2022
“Behind the Walls”
If you’re considering any home improvements, whether major or minor, there’s a nearly endless variety of advice and “how to” information available on television, in newspapers and magazines, or at any home supply store on how to renovate, remodel or spruce up your home.
Relaxing on my couch with a cup of coffee to watch a program in which a homeowner or potential buyer ventures out into the unknown territory of home renovation is often pretty entertaining. Whether remodeling a house they already own or buying a fixer-upper, the homeowners have to make decisions based on what the experts propose for the project. Some folks can’t even visualize how the changes can be accomplished; others just tell the experts they like their ideas and leave the whole project in their hands. Then the big day arrives —sledgehammers are swung, cabinets are pulled off the walls, flooring is pulled up, and the dumpster out on the driveway fills quickly. Then there’s the “Oops” moment. As a wall is being enthusiastically torn down, a problem is discovered. The possibilities are endless — mold, dry rot, asbestos, termites, badly done wiring or plumbing, or beams that don’t connect to anything. Much head-shaking and muttering ensues, with worries about what this is going to do to the budget, but eventually a structural and financial solution is agreed upon, and it’s back to work.
It occurred to me that the surprises found as part of a house renovation aren’t that different from what might be found behind the walls that we build around our inner selves. Every one of us has a need to protect our vulnerable side, hiding the fears and pains and uncertainties. We can’t let those weaknesses be out there in the bright light of day for anyone and everyone to see! If those structural deficiencies or shoddy workmanship are visible, what happens to our nice smooth wall, with its fresh coat of paint in the latest fashionable color? The human instinct for self-preservation is very strong, and for most of us, it’s necessary to be careful just how much we let anyone see behind our walls.
The joyful news in the Gospel releases us from needing to maintain these walls. Yes, we sin and are far from perfect, but Jesus tells us that our heavenly Father loves and accepts us nonetheless. We can turn to him in all our needs, and from him we receive the forgiveness and reassurance that makes our walls unnecessary. God gives us the strength to stand up and break through that which we think protects us but actually imprisons us.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we hear these words of freedom: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God . . . For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” (Ephesians 2:8a, 10a). This is our solid foundation, and upon it our walls will be straight and true, with big, beautiful windows to let in the light.
Peeking out from behind the wall,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers