Brick by brick

Proverbs 14:1

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”

When you pick up the socks, with joy, by the laundry basket, instead of fussing at him for missing it again…

You build your house.

When you mop up the spill on the rug in living room, and smile, instead of losing your temper…

You build your house.

When you get everyone ready for church on Sunday morning, and maintain a cheerful heart, instead of getting grumpy because there’s so much on your plate…

You build your house.

When you fold laundry with joy,

When you deny the urge to nag,

When you look for reasons to praise instead of criticize,

When you wash the piles of dirty dishes without complaining,

When you vacuum the crumbs, again….

You build your house.

All those little things, that we do without much thought, the complaints of so much laundry. The grumbling because of another mess.

The selfishness that comes out when our spouse changes plans, or doesn’t align with what we wanted.

All of those things we “justify” within ourselves.

That is still tearing down your house.

It doesn’t have to be gross, “big” sins.

It can be little things that you do almost without any thought.

Brick by brick.

Slowly.

Tearing down what God gave with your own hands.

Then one day, you look around and wonder why the enemy is running freely through your home.

But there were no walls to keep him out.

You tore them down.

And he patiently waited outside.

He saw you remove one brick with your critical spirit with your spouse, and he whispered through the gap that you were justified in that attitude.

He saw you remove another brick, as you fussed because the snack crumbs fell on your freshly cleaned floor. And he whispered that you were justified because you work so hard and those kids aren’t careful.

And finally, he could slip right through. There was nothing to hold him back. He whispered as he passed by, to keep removing bricks, you’re so under appreciated, so you’re therefore justified in your actions.

We want to blame the devil for attacking our homes, when many times, it was us who have been tearing down our walls for years, giving him a place to come in.

It’s not too late to put the bricks back.

It will take more work, to fit then back where they go, and refortify your home.

But if you want to build your house, you can again, even if you tore it down yourself the first time.

It’s time to build.

Don’t tear down what God gave.