These past few months I have been really contemplating the sacredness of slow building. This idea that while I live in a word that is so fast paced and on to the next thing... there is a sacredness that can only be found in slow building. (see more on instagram HERE)
From the outside the barn may look like it is struggling, but to be honest, it is still standing quite firm.
Yes, it is weathered.
Yes, it has had numerous paint jobs since it was built.
Yes, some beams have had to be replaced.
Yes, it has been beaten down by different storms.
Yes, it leans a bit to the left depending on what angle you view it from...
Yes, it is weathered.
Yes, it has had numerous paint jobs since it was built.
Yes, some beams have had to be replaced.
Yes, it has been beaten down by different storms.
Yes, it leans a bit to the left depending on what angle you view it from...
but the foundation is sure and against the backdrop of the mountains it remains steadfast and strong.
The story goes that the farmer who built this barn spent years doing so. Recently someone has said it took over 12 years exactly. Neighbors supposedly questioned if it would ever be completed and when it finally was some said that it didn't "look" like much.
But this barn has housed many animals from a cold winter night. It has provided shelter for those who were homeless. It has held a wedding. It has held a memorial service. It has seen the beginning and the end and held laughter and barn dances and memories in between. The time of building the foundation provided a place for the past 85 years for people to come and find refuge. The farmer once said... "I look at that barn everyday and remember how long it took to build and I also see the changes it has endured and I remember that time and work can change me for the better too."
"To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years..."
Like this barn, building something that lasts requires a firm foundation that comes about slowly and with great determination. The sacredness of building something slow to set a firm foundation is something that can at times feel hopeless or impossible. Sometimes we have these great moments where it is easy and the changes we long to see seem to happen magically and quickly....but most of the time, well most of the time friends it is slow... and a lot of work.
In this world that so often communicates to us that great things happen quickly and that you can become anything or anyone you want in a minute... let us remember that there is a beautiful sacredness that comes with slow and deliberate building and change. That the people we long to be can happen with great patience and determination. That the relationships we are building can happen as we slowly and confidently step forward... making small and important changes to shift the direction of our hearts and lives.
The story goes that the farmer who built this barn spent years doing so. Recently someone has said it took over 12 years exactly. Neighbors supposedly questioned if it would ever be completed and when it finally was some said that it didn't "look" like much.
But this barn has housed many animals from a cold winter night. It has provided shelter for those who were homeless. It has held a wedding. It has held a memorial service. It has seen the beginning and the end and held laughter and barn dances and memories in between. The time of building the foundation provided a place for the past 85 years for people to come and find refuge. The farmer once said... "I look at that barn everyday and remember how long it took to build and I also see the changes it has endured and I remember that time and work can change me for the better too."
"To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years..."
Like this barn, building something that lasts requires a firm foundation that comes about slowly and with great determination. The sacredness of building something slow to set a firm foundation is something that can at times feel hopeless or impossible. Sometimes we have these great moments where it is easy and the changes we long to see seem to happen magically and quickly....but most of the time, well most of the time friends it is slow... and a lot of work.
In this world that so often communicates to us that great things happen quickly and that you can become anything or anyone you want in a minute... let us remember that there is a beautiful sacredness that comes with slow and deliberate building and change. That the people we long to be can happen with great patience and determination. That the relationships we are building can happen as we slowly and confidently step forward... making small and important changes to shift the direction of our hearts and lives.
To understand that our journey is a slow process and that we are constantly slow building our lives. To live in the understanding that there is a beautiful and sacred hope that the journey is long and lasts a lifetime.
Let us stop living so much for ourselves in this culture that is all about "me" and live our lives openly and generously... showering those around us with God's love so much that they don't even see us, but only see Him. Let us move from a place of indifference at what is going on in our world to one of compassion. Today, dear friends, lets embrace the beautiful sacredness of slow building and change... knowing that we are building is a vision for a future time... a time that will have an impact and legacy even beyond our years.
"This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed."
-Habakkuk 3:2-
-Habakkuk 3:2-
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