bricks without straw

I’m going to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, and not too many years ago, a man built a little, yellow house. Into the house moved his little family. Together, they hammered, shoveled, and planted. Slowly, the land around the little house took shape into lawns, shrubs, a garden and a tire swing. Animals arrived—dogs, cats, chickens, ducks…

“We need a barn,” said the man.

So he talked and planned and talked and planned.

But still, there was no barn.

Goats and a horse arrived. Hay was stored in the garage.

“We need a barn,” said the man.

And there was more talking and more planning.

Then, one day, a knock came on the front door. The PUD workers were taking down the old

electrical poles and putting up new poles.

The man was delighted to take the old poles.

“What are these?” his wife asked.

“This is our new barn!” he said.

His wife was not so sure.

“It will be great!” he said.

Into the ground went the poles, like massive toothpicks on the edge of the woods.

“What are these?” visitors grinned.

“This is our new barn!” the man replied.

The visitors were not so sure.

Time passed, and the man brought home building supplies for the new barn. Salvaged, cast-off materials from remodeled homes were sawed and screwed to the poles, creating a patchwork of red, pink, green and white. It began to look like a barn.

Kinda.

“It’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever built,” said the wife.

“Just wait,” replied the man. “It will be great.”

Well, one day, the man and his wife went for a walk and stopped to look at the new barn.

The man was very sick.

“How will this barn ever get finished?” asked the wife.

“It’ll get finished…somehow,” the man replied. “It will be great.”

Then, he went away to heaven.

Friends came to help. More used materials arrived. The kids worked…and worked…and worked.

Two years passed.

The day came when the barn was finished. It was not quite what the man and his wife had expected.

But it was exactly what was needed.

It was sufficient.

And it was great.*

But you know, this story isn’t really about barns. And it isn’t really about turning old materials

into cool, new buildings.

A few weeks ago, I was sobbing on the bathroom floor.

Overwhelmed, discouraged, alone…

burdened by my own insufficiency,

confused by God’s choices for my life.

“Lord, I can’t do this! What do You want me to do here—make bricks without straw?!”*

He answered my sarcasm by showing me our new barn—

and reminded me of the story I just told you.

We’d always wanted a barn. It was the goal.

But the process for building this particular barn in front of me was drastically changed from our original expectations. Salvaged materials, long lengths of time, a design-remake, a transfer of builders…the loss of the foreman. Nothing went as we anticipated.

But here is our barn…strong, sturdy, sufficient.

Clearly, the goal was met.

“For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand,

that we should walk in them.”

(Ephesians 2:10)

God prepares our purposes and goals before we are born. These do not change. But the

process—the “bricks and straw” by which we reach them (abilities, income, friendships, work, gifts and talents, marriage, dependable circumstances, education, good business)—these do change.

These processes must be held loosely…

and surrendered to Him with open hands.

He can use whatever brick and straw He desires…and yes, sometimes His methods and materials are

meager,

painful,

grievous,

unexpected,

confusing,

…ridiculous.

At least, from our perspective;

but not from His.

To put it plainly: God has purposes for me to fulfill. I did not expect widowhood, with eleven

children still at home, to be part of His process in fulfilling these purposes. Focusing on my

shattered expectations produces disillusionment and bitterness. Focusing on the goal produces peace and determination. With or without Joshua, God’s purposes for me remain the same and His provision to reach these goals has never changed.

“Except the LORD build the house,

they labor in vain that build it.”

(Psalm 127:1)

The Lord doesn’t need my bricks and He doesn’t need my straw…

because He IS the brick and He IS the straw! His methods may surprise me—they may indeed be difficult. But when I place all my hope and focus on Him, He faithfully, continually,

miraculously builds my life with His own hands and brings me to His goals through…Himself.

El Shaddai—the All-Sufficient One.

Sufficient in His purposes for me. Sufficient in His process for completing those purposes.

And so, in the morning when I rise, I cry out for…Jesus.

In my insufficiency, I fill myself with…Jesus.

My prayers must be more about fulfilling His purposes in my life…and less about the process.

My prayers must be more about Him and less about me!

He is all the brick and straw I need. He is everything I want…

He is more than enough.

El-Shaddai.

One day, all His purposes for me will reach an end…

the “house” will be complete…

and it’s going to be great!

“I will cry to God Most High,

Who accomplishes all things

on my behalf

[for He completes

my purpose in His plan].”

(Psalm 57:2)

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*This really is the story of our barn. This past summer, the kids and I made it our goal to

complete this “dream” project of Joshua’s. With great diligence, creativity and skills that took this mama by surprise, the kids (and some helpful friends), designed, sweated, hammered, screwed, painted, shoveled, and finished this much-needed building. I am so grateful…and they most certainly have two very proud parents.

*Exodus 5:18-19—In answer to Moses’ request to free the children of Israel from slavery,

Pharaoh spitefully responded by withholding from the Israelites the straw required to make

bricks. Thus, the Israelites were forced to first gather the straw each day before reaching the same required quota of bricks.