When a builder builds a house he starts by laying a foundation. The cement mixture mixed for the foundation is very dense and strong. It must give stability to the walls and roof. After that the walls and roof are built. The cement mixture for these doesn’t have to be as dense as the foundation. After that the house is beautified with neat finishes, paint, carpentry, furniture, and accessories. The house looks good for a while – maybe a few years. But as time goes by, things get old and worn out, and we need to do some repairs and maintenance. Sometimes, after many years, the repairs are no longer sufficient and we need more than maintenance, like a complete renovation. If we neglect to repair, maintain, and renovate our house, it will eventually degrade and the neglect will be evident.
Here’s the process: Lay a foundation –> Build the house –> Beautify it –> Maintain it –> Renovate it.
Our lives are the same. We need to build our character and belief system on a solid foundation. What do you believe? Are you fully persuaded in what you believe? Where do you stand on important life issues? How solid is your foundation? If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Your spirit-man needs stability.
We build on this foundation by basing the way we run our lives on it. Our thoughts, decisions and emotions all come out of this foundation. They are the “walls” and the “roof”.
As we grow in character and become better, we become more valuable to ourselves and others. Life becomes more beautiful.
Every now and then life throws us a curve ball and we need to make some adjustments to stay on top of our game (maintenance). Sometimes we neglect certain areas of our lives and we land up having to do damage control (repairs). Either way, we keep getting better. Or do we? Are life’s curve balls and our dropping the ball causing us to get better or bitter? If we don’t maintain and repair, we might find ourselves doing that renovation sooner than we think! Or worse, if we don’t renovate, our lives will keep degrading and going downhill until we reach rock bottom.
Whether the renovation comes early, on time or late, it will still need to be done. We “renovate” ourselves when we re-evaluate our path and plans, make radical changes, and take time to get restored and revitalised. This takes time, focus and effort on our part.
Here’s the process: Lay a solid foundation by having a strong and secure belief system –> Build your life by making choices which are in line with what you believe –> Make your world a more beautiful place by adding value to people and leaving everything better than the way you found it –> Make whatever adjustments you need to to become better –> Every now and then, take a step back to re-evaluate your life, change what needs to change, and restore what needs to be restored.
Look after the life you’ve been given. Preserve it and it will serve you well for many years.
