My father was a teacher who spent his summers doing odd jobs. One of these involved working as a small-scale brick layer–think barbeque pits, or outdoor flower planters and, as a teenager, I often spent my summers as dad’s helper.
First, he laid the bricks one at a time, making sure they were true to a horizontal line stretched along the length of the project. Then he also took out his level, every so often, and sat it atop and across a row of freshly laid bricks, to make sure they were level vertically. Bricklaying is not a job for the impatient!
My main task was to dress the joints, between the bricks, when the mortar was almost dry, and that took patience, as well. If I started scraping the joints too early, or waited too long, they wouldn’t look right.
A well-built life, just like a well-built nation is made by laying bricks: one at a time, true to the line, and level. It takes time for the mortar to dry before dressing the joints, and just like bricklaying, good things take time and patience.
This was also true for the original U.S. thirteen colonies when they declared their independence from Great Britain. In 1776 the Declaration was signed, but they weren’t recognized as their own country until 1783, by the Treaty of Paris.
Seven years, brick by brick, our forefathers fought for their independence and won!
There are also plenty of stories in the Bible about waiting. Abraham and Sarah waited twenty-five years for the promised arrival of their son, Issac. Joseph spent thirteen years in an Egyptian prison, before being promoted to Pharoah’s court. David waited over twenty years, after the prophet Samuel anointed him, before he became King over all Israel.
Good things also take time for you and me, though there are moments when we don’t feel we can afford to wait.
When I was younger, I helped my dad lay brick after brick to finish his projects. Brick by brick, our forefathers built the foundation for the United States of America, Bible heroes waited, and so must we–putting our trust in God.
Kind reader, God keeps each and every one of His promises. In His perfect timing, He will do it again!
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
God’s promises are like stars; the darker the night, the brighter they shine.
David Nicholas
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
Photos by Yunus Tuğ on Unsplash+
This piece was first published in the Sunshine Weekly Newsletter, a publication which is shared in nursing homes and assisted living centers. A special thank you to Peter Caligiuri, aka “Pastor Pete,” for inviting me to contribute a monthly column! Peter blogs at praise2worship.net
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