I am building a boat – with my daughter (when she can be here). Every step in the process stretches me. It is all new to me. I’ve learned that with patience and plenty of time to be sure I understand – it can be tackled.
Tonight was another one of those tasks. I had attached a keel to the bottom of the boat the day before. Now it needs a fillet. No, not as in “O – Fish”. It is fillet, pronouncing the last “t”. It is a putty – in this case a hand mixed epoxy that is thickened. This putty is placed along each side of the keel where it joins the bottom of the boat. The purpose of the putty is to create a smooth curve from the hull to the keel so it both seals it and allows the fiberglass to lay properly over the keel. (A sharp 90 degree angle would create an air pocket because the fiberglass cloth can not follow that steep an angle.
I found applying the putty to be extremely messy. Since the keel was 14 feet long I had plenty of time to perfect my skills. Along the way I discovered ways to make the finished product look great – but I never figured out a neat way to get the putty on. I had to settle for clean up after it was in place.
When I went out to put the fillet on the boat I was thinking an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Hah! Some two and a half hours later the task was done.
I was thinking about all this while working on the boat. Souls are like fillets. They are extremely messy to deal with – but necessary and worth it. I was glad – thankful for God’s persistence in working on my soul – in spite of how messy it is at times. I was thankful He keeps working on me because He sees it is as necessary and He sees the end result. It made me think of Philippians 1:6 – “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
I also thought of my relationship to other souls – people. Yes, the souls of others can be messy too. There were moments while working on the fillet on the boat when I didn’t want to do it – moments when it was just too messy. If there was a neater way to do this it would be more enjoyable! It is the end result that kept me going. I knew what that little thing called a fillet – something most people will never see – meant to completing that boat so it will be water worthy and run true. The people I come across each day can be messy. If I am to make a difference in their lives, if I am to be a true friend, if I am to make disciples of others you have to join in the mess and keep the end result in mind. It means keeping in mind that Philippians 1:6 is true for them too. It means I must see myself as one of the tools in God’s shop for shaping the life of another into what He wants them to be. And it means it will always take longer than I think it will.
JT
