“We are each one of us responsible for our own house.”

A thought by John Ortberg (2015-05-05) from his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God's Love from Your Head to Your Heart (p. 81). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Now it is so easy for us to live life and have things go wrong and want to play the blame game. It’s not my fault, it’s _____’s fault. But blaming really is to be lame. We are each responsible for our own house. But we really do love to blame our parents, our boss, the government, our circumstances and even God. But “we are each one of us responsible for our own house” or character or soul. We are all of us constructing a life.

John says, “Every commitment I make, every friendship I enter, every skill that I cultivate or neglect, every promise I honor or break, becomes a part of my house. You are constructing your life. The quality of the choices you make will determine the quality of your character, your soul.”

Larry also says, “Some people are so afraid of being disappointed by their choice they avoid making choices at all. But then that’s the house you live in. Or you may fear disappointment so you procrastinate. Then you live in that house.”

He then says, “Here are some signs that I am failing to take responsibility for my own house: • I am overly eager to please. I find myself looking for others’ approval to validate my choices. • I can’t decide. I lack clarity on what it is that I truly think is right or good or even enjoyable. I waver and hesitate to commit. • I am anxious. A little criticism from the wrong source leaves me feeling defeated. • I lack integrity. Instead of freely saying what I believe, I calculate and adjust my words to fit more closely with what I think the other person wants to hear. We are all house-builders. There is no alternative. We are constructing our lives.”

But we don’t have to do it alone. There is a Master Contractor who wants to guide you and teach you and make a difference in building your life. Or maybe you want to do it on your own. That is not wise. That is very foolish. It’s like the man who chose to build his house upon the sand instead of on the rock. When the storm came and it will come it was washed away.

Jesus is that Master Contractor and he wants to teach you and guide you in your building. But you must seek after him and ask him and then follow him. That is what the wise man would do. But it is your choice. He wants to come along side of you and make your house one that will last.

So how is your house building going?

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