Are You Building Walls?

Building Walls

I realize this blog post has nothing to do with teaching, but it does have to do with life. :-)  I love to reflect and even go back to rethink things I have thought much about before.  This is a recycled blog post from my 'mom blog' that I used to keep up with.   I have several others I will be posting over the next few weeks.  I hope you enjoy. 

Are you Building Walls only to have them Knocked Down?

Do you ever see people that have what you want?

Do you look at them and wonder, "How can I get that?"

You know what I'm talking about.... you see some people and you think they are simply blessed beyond belief. You start to desire what they have.

You want to build a successful business just like they have.
You want your marriage to be happy just like theirs.
You want the funds in your bank account to runnith over exactly like theirs.
You want deep faith to lead your life just as it leads theirs.
And, you want your family to have close bonds just like you witness in theirs.

So, what's the difference?

Why do they seem to have it all when your walls are crumbling down? Do you find yourself asking, "Why can't I get ahead in these areas of my life?"

Maybe your marriage is in turmoil.... maybe it's even your third marriage that is falling apart.
Maybe your bank account is overdrawn.
Maybe your family doesn't find the time to be a family.
Maybe your business is filing bankruptcy.
Maybe you just don't have the faith.

For these areas of your life to grow, it takes sweat. It also takes consistency. And that means it's not going to be easy.

Let's just focus on marriage, and then you can apply this metaphor to the rest of your life.

The blocks on the left represent a man who is devoted to his wife. He is there for her and wants to see their relationship grow. The blocks on the right also represent a man who is devoted to his wife. He is there for her and wants to see their relationship grow.

A year passes. The man on the left continues to be devoted to his wife. He starts to put sweat equity into the marriage. He asks her how she is doing on a daily basis. He pours her coffee. He asks her out for date nights. He prays for her and their marriage. The man on the right expects that his marriage will work, but there is no consistency in his actions and he is not willing to sweat. He is sometimes late for dinner and doesn't call. He sometimes forgets to greet his wife when he comes home from work. He doesn't ask her directly how her day went but does talk about how hard his was. His wall are destined to start to crumble.

2 years later

The man on left, his marriage is growing. He has something to show for his sweat. The man on the right, his marriage is falling apart. He will have to work hard, put things in overdrive, to build his walls back up if he wants his relationship to work.

3 years later

The man on the left now has a firm foundation for his marriage. He will continue to devote the time, energy, and be consistent in his actions in order to build this lasting relationship. The man on the right has backtracked. He now has to recover from all his inconsistencies and try to make things work. He can build the walls again, but keep in mind, he is still on the first floor.

4 years later

It's a vicious cycle of inconsistencies for the man on the right.

five years later

Which set of blocks represents you? Are you the blocks on the right, and you find yourself having to rebuild everything from relationships to your bank account to your faith just because you are not willing to work at it? or maybe you have to work extra hard to make up for the lost effort. Is it time to break the cycle of inconsistencies in your life? After 5 years, the man on the left has something to show for his hard work. The man on the right builds his walls only to have them fall down... time after time.

You might have even noticed that the man on the right came close to building five floors himself. The problem was, his inconsistencies kept those floors from growing. You have a choice, you can work hard and have one floor, or you can work hard and build a high-rise. The high-rise gets you closer to the sky. The high-rise is what you get after many years of sweat equity.

So, what is the answer?

prayer, sweat, consistency

Apply those to your life and you will build your business, your finances, your family, your marriage, and your faith.

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