Gaps! They’re everywhere, and I can’t seem to get rid of them. They showed up in the new moldings I installed in a bathroom-remodeling project. Bob Villa, I’m not, and when I measured and cut, the boards at my old house never fit quite as well as they do on TV. Every joint showed a gap.
The gaps show up in people, too, - gaps between what they should do and what they actually do, gaps between what they promise and what they deliver. Even my wife, as nearly perfect as anyone (how am I doing, Honey?) sometimes lets me down. My children, wonderful though they are, didn’t always do everything they should (If you’re reading this, please make your bed!). Friends sometimes act unfriendly. Even strangers don’t do right, like the waitress who promises, “I’ll be your server” but then disappears.
There is hope, however, - a terrific tool, every carpenter’s best friend. It’s caulk! It’s cheap, easy to use, and it fills the gaps. Just a few minutes with a caulk gun transformed my mangled, mismatched bathroom to near perfection. Caulk filled the gaps. Everything looked great!
God invented caulk for relationships, too. Listen to how the Builder says to fill the gaps between the ideal and the real. “Above all,” he says, “love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Love covers sins! It fills gaps between what people do and what they should do, allowing us to see past their imperfections. At least, we should fill gaps with love. We may have our own gap, though, and try other fixes.
I did that in my bathroom. I threw away some pieces and tried new ones. I hammered harder trying to squeeze the pieces together. And, of course, I tried what every male believes to be the ultimate solution – brute force. But, I still had gaps. Only caulk filled the gaps.
When you see gaps in people – imperfections - do you try to fix them? Do you throw away that relationship and look for a new one? Do you hammer away at people to get them to fit your expectations? Do you try to force others to be what you want them to be?
Why not try the Creator’s caulk instead? Fill some gaps with love today. I think you’ll be pleased how much better your world looks to you.
Comments