Psalm 29:11 “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”
Shortly after Chip and I were married, we moved to Florida where he and his brother Dick teamed together to begin a business. Chip’s first project entailed buying and clearing land in order to build a house which he would in turn sell. We spent every waking hour…in August and September, the hottest, most humid time of the year…working on that house. (I remember times when I prayed for a breeze). It was my introduction into the construction world, and despite the physical challenges, I actually learned about a few things. Things like rebar.
Rebar, short for re (enforcing) bar, consists of steel rods placed in concrete to help the structure withstand outside pressure, such as that in hurricanes. Rebar was a mandatory requirement in Florida buildings due to the frequent occurrences of gale winds. I think rebar of a different kind is needed in the Christian life.
John Wesley commented that “God is the first object of our love: Its next office is to bear the defects of others.” God’s supremacy in our lives not only fortifies our faith, but buttresses us against the “defects” of others. Just as rebar allows concrete to carry “tensile loads” so our relationship with God enables us to deal with the “loads of tension” that at times accompany our interactions with people. When battered by the weaknesses of others, our security doesn’t crumble because it’s built on the strongest force in the universe…the love of God.
So how’s your rebar? Has some brokenness in a relationship whipped you around like a cyclone? Are you making every effort to keep the Lord as your first love? Are you letting Him reconstruct the areas in your life that need some overhaul? Don’t let anything dilute, dislodge or dismantle your rebar.