Waring: Construction Ahead

12/30/2020

Psalm 87:7 “All my fresh springs shall be in Thee.”

“Our Lord never patches up our natural virtues, He remakes the whole man on the inside.”

                                                                                ~Oswald Chambers

The story of the Winchester Mansion is one of intrigue and confusion. It was built by Sarah Winchester, the heir of the Winchester rifle fortune. In 1886, she took an eight room farmhouse in San Hose, California, and had construction crews continuously build onto it until her death in 1922. By that time, it had become a 24,000 square foot rambling, confusing place with many eccentricities, such as doors that lead to nowhere and stairways that end at walls. There are many theories, which I will not go into here, about why Sarah spent so much time and money building this beautiful yet highly quirky anomaly. I will, however, say that when I consider the above Chambers’ quote, I think of how long God has had me under construction, and just like Sarah’s house, I also have many quirks. I now understand that God, thankfully, will use those quirks, and they are not something I need to be ashamed of or even afraid of. After all, it is through my brokenness and healing, and through my scars, that I am used by God. I cannot even pretend to be a perfect person, because there is no such thing. I just need to trust God in all of my frailty, and with all of my peculiarities, to use me in any way He sees fit.

It has taken God decades to get me where I am today, and I know He certainly is not finished with me yet. There is so much of my “natural” self He is revealing to me that is not yet submitted to Him. Again, I am still under construction. I must come to a place where the daily freshness of my soul comes from the spring of living water. The more I rely fully on my Savior, the more I am renewed each day. Chambers writes, “But as we bring every bit of our bodily life into harmony with the new life which God has put in us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristically of the Lord Jesus.” To reflect my Savior and share the Good News of the Gospel is the greatest calling I could ever have. I am so looking forward to the next stage of soul level construction my Lord has for me. To God be the glory forever and ever.

 

“And every virtue we posses

Is His alone”

                                                            ~Oswald Chambers                                         

For more information about the Winchester House, go here: https://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/sarahs-story/