Yesterday, David and I had the opportunity to walk through our almost-finished house in North Carolina. As we walked with the contractor and project manager, we could see a house that was nearly complete. On the surface we saw paint and kitchen cabinets, a beautifully stained floor, and a screen porch. We saw the playroom where our grandchildren will be spending a lot of time, and our side by side studies.
As good as everything looked, if you looked more closely, there was still a lot left to be finished. The screen porch was there, but not the screens. The bathrooms were there, but not the towel bars. The walls had been painted, but there was a need for touch ups.
It hit me that this image could also refer to our Christian lives. On the surface, we might look finished as people of faith. But upon a closer look, we are unfinished. My house needs touch-up paint, a little electrical work, and some screens. Unlike our house, which will one day be finished, as Christians, we are never finished. We need continuing work in our walk with God – through prayer, Bible study, and service. We keep pressing on toward the goal of our faith in Jesus.
The apostle Paul reflected on this very fact in Philippians 3, “…but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” May we all follow Paul’s lead, pressing on in our faith journey.
-Pastor Jane