Break Down the Walls
At my house, we are in the midst of multiple projects around the house; painting, fixing broken closet doors, replacing window treatments, staining and repairing the deck. It’s a good feeling to freshen up the look of our home and make it beautiful. We have an inward desire to create a cozy environment for our families, don’t we? We want to make it a safe place and to block out the hurts of the world inside the walls of our homes. It’s our castle, the place where we feel free to be ourselves and stop pretending everything is ok all the time. But, we keep the shades closed and stay inside the walls so no one sees or invades our private spaces.
And in our hearts? We build up the same type of defenses, sometimes without even realizing it. We keep people out of our inner self because we are afraid they might not accept us if they knew who we really were. We build up walls that we think will protect us from the criticism and hurts we have received. These walls are built up little by little, brick by brick, as we experience the everyday dysfunctions of humanity. Bricks like pride, self-consciousness, insecurity…crowd around our hearts and keep us separated from others in the body of Christ. We allow bitterness to wall us in and respond to pain with higher walls, hoping to protect our sensitive hearts.
But God wants to be the protector of our hearts. He is faithful to take care of us if we trust Him. That’s at the root of this issue. Do we trust God to care for us as we open ourselves up to His body? Are we willing to be open and vulnerable for the good of building up the church, instead of just our own personal walls?
When the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon for 70 years, they finally repented and turned back to God. But God said to them through Haggai 1:4, “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” His point was that the people were so focused on themselves and on their own needs that they could not reach out to the community of God. His house was in ruins and they were living peacefully.
God is asking us to break down the walls that keep us from true community in the body of Christ. When we do this, we can build up His temple, which is the body. We can’t reach through brick walls to help others and we can’t reach through brick walls to extend grace. We have to lay down those bricks and start building up HIS house. When we reach out, when we open up, then God’s house will be built up.
I’m laying down my bricks, letting God break through my walls so I can be a part of building up His House. Amen?
A fellow kingdom builder,
Heather
