40 Days of Seeking Him 2011 ~ Day 11

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Yesterday at Mass, our pastor shared a ‘story’ of a man who bought a house and then spotted a crack going across the living room wall. After repeated attempts to fix it, he finally called in an expert to fix it. The expert just looked at him and said that the crack would keep coming back as it was the foundation that needed to be fixed.

Since hearing this ‘story’, I’ve been ruminating it as it applies in my life.

On a technological level, we have a desktop computer that has had problems for the past few years.  I do not want to even consider how much time Mr. O and I have invested trying to fix the problem.  Yet, no matter what we do, any ‘fix’ has been temporary.  In a way, we’ve been trying to repair that crack and it only comes back bigger each time.  So, I now face either a total wipe of the hard drive or replacing it with a brand new one so whatever has infected the computer can not keep coming back.  The computer’s foundation is at fault and all the patches done will not fix the problem.

There are other aspects of life where this applies as well. 

Cracks can come from many directions in our personal lives.  I might find uncharitable thoughts after repeated exposure to others broadcasting similar thoughts.  I might find myself gaining weight after failing to temper my desire to have just a few extra bites of something ‘tasty’ or avoiding exercise my body requires to stay healthy.  Or, my personal life may suffer when excessive viewing of TV or being on the computer keeps me from tending to other needs.

Cracks could be seen in friends and family members we love.  Sometimes they are things we can not help to change, nor should we interject ourselves in that process.  But, other times, those cracks might be connected to us in ways that our own attitudes and behaviors are shaking the foundation.  Maybe we have a difficult relationship, but fail to see that our own prejudice is bleeding through and contributing to the difficulties.  As a parent, we might see attitudes and behaviors coming from our children that are leading to cracks.  While we may respect our children’s own free will, we also might see influences contributing to the problems which we can address by restricting their access to those influences.

Cracks can also be seen in the larger community in which we live.  Communities and organizations within those communities are just as susceptible to those cracks as the individuals within are imperfect.  I have seen more than one group suffer when a crack appears and no one takes a stand to do what needs to be done to fix it.  Although, I will admit that there could be times when you have to step away and let nature take its course.  Whichever path is taken should be chosen after plenty of prayer and seeking of wise counsel.  We’ve had recent events in one organization in which we’ve been actively participating that have me questioning if a crack has just been covered up and is now coming back.  I’ve been in prayer and discussion over what our family is being called to do.  While I won’t share details here, I will say that I see it as a case of needing to keep the greater community in mind while also doing what is best for our own family.

Sadly, it is far easier for us to either ignore or try to hide those cracks in our lives.  I just pray that God will always be there to remind me when a foundation needs to be fixed and providing me the grace to proceed in a way that brings me closer to Him.