The Little Church
Once upon a time, a church family went looking for a bit of land upon which to build a church building. They searched high and low for something within their budget that they would have enough money left over for a deposit on the mortgage and be able to build a beautiful church.
Eventually they found a plot of land and it was ideal! In fact, it was so ideal that it already HAD a little building that could serve as a church on it. It had beautiful stained glass windows that the members KNEW would be beautiful when the sun shone through them.
So the church bought the property and had a cleaning day. They cleared out the cobwebs, they dusted, they brought in an altar and altar clothes, they brought in pews. They scrubbed the windows, they swept and mopped the floors. They even waxed them.
And yet, something just wasn't right.
When anyone came into the church, there was an odor, not of cleanliness, but of death. The stained glass windows simply wouldn't come clean, they continued to have a dull film over them so the light simply wouldn't shine through. They realized there must have been some sort of rodent infestation in the past and the smell must have been left over from that time. When the sun was shining, the light simply could not penetrate the grime upon the windows, so the beauty of the stained glass would not shine through.
Finally, they called the realtor that sold them the property. The realtor suggested they contact the builder to find out what needed to be done to fix their problem. The builder suggested they contact his son, who owned a cleaning service that also took care of pest extermination. It was run by a single man who would come in and clean out any rat infestation and remove the bodies that were stinking up the church.
The son arrived, squeegee and soap in hand. He used special chemicals to wipe the grime away. What was so difficult for the members of the church was quite simple for the man. He had the proper tools for the job. He came into the church and went directly to where the problem odor was coming from. He plugged the holes that the rodents entered through and removed the decay that was causing the offending odors.
When he was done, the light shone through the beautiful creations of the windows and the interior of the church was so lovely it took everyone's breath away.
The builder's son explained that they could keep trying to clean the stained glass and the church building, but the infestation and grime would return over and over. They could have the builder come in, tear down the building and start over, but the members loved the little church building. They decided that they would prefer to have the builder's son return and keep cleaning the church and its windows because they knew that they could never do as beautiful a job as he did.
~~~
The little church was originally built to be a place of beauty by the builder, but it had become infested and decrepit. The son is the only one who had the capability to properly clean it so that it could be used for the purpose it was intended. Once cleaned, the purpose was clear because the light shining through made it possible for the church to function. The cleanliness didn't drive anyone away, it drew people to want to be there.
We have that same cleaning service in our lives. He takes care of the places we are unable to clean. We give him far less work to do when we lovingly maintain our church. His cleaning glorifies the builder.
God Bless
Eventually they found a plot of land and it was ideal! In fact, it was so ideal that it already HAD a little building that could serve as a church on it. It had beautiful stained glass windows that the members KNEW would be beautiful when the sun shone through them.
So the church bought the property and had a cleaning day. They cleared out the cobwebs, they dusted, they brought in an altar and altar clothes, they brought in pews. They scrubbed the windows, they swept and mopped the floors. They even waxed them.
And yet, something just wasn't right.
When anyone came into the church, there was an odor, not of cleanliness, but of death. The stained glass windows simply wouldn't come clean, they continued to have a dull film over them so the light simply wouldn't shine through. They realized there must have been some sort of rodent infestation in the past and the smell must have been left over from that time. When the sun was shining, the light simply could not penetrate the grime upon the windows, so the beauty of the stained glass would not shine through.
Finally, they called the realtor that sold them the property. The realtor suggested they contact the builder to find out what needed to be done to fix their problem. The builder suggested they contact his son, who owned a cleaning service that also took care of pest extermination. It was run by a single man who would come in and clean out any rat infestation and remove the bodies that were stinking up the church.
The son arrived, squeegee and soap in hand. He used special chemicals to wipe the grime away. What was so difficult for the members of the church was quite simple for the man. He had the proper tools for the job. He came into the church and went directly to where the problem odor was coming from. He plugged the holes that the rodents entered through and removed the decay that was causing the offending odors.
When he was done, the light shone through the beautiful creations of the windows and the interior of the church was so lovely it took everyone's breath away.
The builder's son explained that they could keep trying to clean the stained glass and the church building, but the infestation and grime would return over and over. They could have the builder come in, tear down the building and start over, but the members loved the little church building. They decided that they would prefer to have the builder's son return and keep cleaning the church and its windows because they knew that they could never do as beautiful a job as he did.
~~~
The little church was originally built to be a place of beauty by the builder, but it had become infested and decrepit. The son is the only one who had the capability to properly clean it so that it could be used for the purpose it was intended. Once cleaned, the purpose was clear because the light shining through made it possible for the church to function. The cleanliness didn't drive anyone away, it drew people to want to be there.
We have that same cleaning service in our lives. He takes care of the places we are unable to clean. We give him far less work to do when we lovingly maintain our church. His cleaning glorifies the builder.
God Bless
posted by Dancer | 7:17 PM
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