Old Houses

I often see them out in the country. They are often falling down. They have sagging roofs, broken windows, and overgrown yards. Sometimes all that is left is an old chimney, or a cracked foundation. You may have seen them too. They are old houses — abandoned, useless, good-for-nothing, unoccupied old houses. But they were not always that way. At one time they were new, freshly painted, and alive with the hopes and dreams of their families.

I sometimes wonder what the plan was for these homes when they were first built. Did they envision generation after generation living in the family house? Was this house the DREAM house? How much did they sacrifice to build it? When did the dream die? When did it cease to be a home and when did it become abandoned? What I see now cannot be what it was made for.

What if this scenario were reversed? What if houses could look at us? What would they see? I believe we were created with a purpose. I believe God made us for a reason. God has dreams and plans for each one of us. We were created to live in relationship with him and help others to see him more clearly. If we do not live in relationship with our Creator, then are we like an old abandoned house? Have we failed to fulfill our purpose in life?

There is a wonderful verse in the Bible that says we are "[C]reated in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Jesus came to this earth to put us back into relationship with God. God has a plan and purpose for us here. When I commit myself to him, I find meaning and purpose. I am doing what I was made to do.

You can fulfill the purpose for which you were created. It starts by being in a relationship with the one who "built" you. He is the one who has a plan for your life. It will keep you alive ... both now and forever.

steve@hopeforlife.org

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