A subfloor is something we take for granted...or at least I did. It's just there, hidden under the surface of the pretty tile, carpet or hardwood. We don't think about it or its purpose. We don't notice it.
Unless a shower leak causes you to rip out the laminate flooring in your bathroom.
When the demolition contractor showed me the pictures of our bathroom after all the fixtures and the flooring were removed, I couldn't believe my eyes. Black mildew covered the subfloor. The boards (which were eventually pulled up and thrown into the dumpster in my front yard) were warped and disgusting. I'm not exaggerating when I say I nearly got sick at the sight of it. I think if I'd actually been in the room to see it, I would have.
For months, there was only a thin decorative surface between my family and this toxic fungus.
Honestly, the same thing happens when I'm not growing in the Lord. A couple of days with no prayer or Bible study seems harmless enough at the time, but can soon result in an unloving, impatient attitude. I snap at people. I don't keep my word. I don't reach out to others. I gossip. I wallow. I judge.
All while wearing my church face.
The laminate flooring hid the problem, but all three of us dealt with the effects of the destruction going on in our home. Especially CJ, who suffered her worst allergy season yet. (No wonder every time I took her off the medication she got sick again! She's been much better since we got that mess out of our house.) And as pretty as the flooring was, it couldn't protect us from the damage being done to the very structure of our home.
No matter how much I try to look like a faithful and godly woman, the decorative facade won't protect those around me when my heart isn't right with the Lord. The church face might look good, but it's only as solid as what lies beneath.
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
1 comment:
Melissa... this post is a perfect example of why I love blogging so much. I love love LOVE this analogy. I think if we're honest, we all have some yuckies underneath the pretty exterior. Thanks for bringing me to a place of self-examination today.
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