Construction Work

I have never been good with tools. Yet during my college career I did a couple stints with construction crews. They learned early tusing hammers, saws, and screw guns were not my expertise. I usually got relegated to the shovel, the jack hammer, or wheel barrel cleaning up.

God had other plans. He put me in a different kind of construction work. The kind of work  constructing and building lives. Instead of power tools God outfitted me with words. He gave me things like dictionaries, pens, paper, and computers. He gave me a passion for books and reading to learn how to use words for noble purposes.

Along the way God used others to build my life. Their words inspired me to keep going when quitting looked like a better solution. When I felt like a failure they spoke words of comfort and endurance in me. They taught me the value of edification. Timely words built my life. When I doubted my ability God used friends to speak words that constructed my life. Before I ever wrote a book people encouraged me to keep writing.

I have seen that same kind of encouragement take place this week at camp. Students have spoken and written words of encouragement to their peers. Brothers spoke words of affirmation to one another moved to tears. Father's spoke loving words to sons and daughters. Friends built up friends. Students who doubted themselves were built up by sponsors. Lives were constructed. The whole scene deeply moved me.

This begs the question. Ate you more like a wrecking ball demolishing lives in your path or in the business of constructing lives. It is easy to cut people with words, to tear people down, and to wound them deeply. [Eph 4:29] exhorts us to not let unwholesome words come from our mouths but words that edify and are filled with grace. Why is it so easy to use words to tear people apart and bring them down instead but so difficult to speak words building them up?

I am a product of many words of encouragement. I think of a host of people like my Uncle Buddy, Aunt Nan, Coach Carter, Brother Charles Roberts, Eli Bernard,  my fifth grade teachers Mrs. McKinney, my eighth grade teacher Mrs. Anderson, and college professors Dr. Robert Smith and Dr. Frankie Rainey. God used each of these people to build my life. Then He added friends to keep constructing my life. I am forever indebted.

I am thankful that this week I get to help construct young lives. I tried to do that as a student minister. NowI try to do that as a pastor. I've tried to do that with my boys. I want to build up my wife. While I will never apologize for preaching hard truth, those whom I have served and taken the time to come to Wednesday night Bible studies over the years have been constructed by the powerful words of scripture. God's word is the greatest construction material for building lives. May we live to construct lives not demolish them.