Recently I had to replace my mailbox post. Some mailboxes are attached to a door or a building. Some huddle together in a room or shed with other mailboxes. Mine was on a wooden post, one that had been severely abused by carpenter bees. ¹

I got my post hole digger and dug down 30 inches through the rocks and the hard Georgia clay. Finally I had the perfect hole with a firm foundation. I settled the post into the ground and poured in a lot of sand, adjusting the post every now and then.

The last step was using my level to make sure the post stood tall and straight. Each time I checked, I made an adjustment. Sometimes moving the post a bit to the right or to the left, pulling it back or pushing it forward. Finally it was perfect.

 

We may do our best to plan out our lives…

 

That process took several hours over 3 days, partly due to occasional rain, but also because I tend to be a perfectionist. Good enough just isn’t…good enough. It has to be perfect. As I sat back and looked at my perfect job, I got to thinking.

A verse begins, A man’s heart plans his way.² Here heart is seen as the center of all our thoughts, feelings, knowledge and understanding. The way refers to our road or journey through in life. So this is about how we try to do things on our own.

Then it adds, But the Lord directs his steps.³ Ah, even though we may do our best to plan out our lives, ultimately it is God who guides us in what is best for us and how we should live.

 

…yet it is God who guides us to the best life.

 

I’m not sure how much God really cares about my post or how straight it is, but I have found that He often uses the ordinary things of life to teach me. And as I studied this verse, I discovered something interesting.

Translations will say the Lord directs, determines, or establishes our steps. The ancient Hebrew word is kuwn, a primitive root which meant to stand erect, perfectly straight, with a firm, sure foundation. I thought I was just working on a new mailbox post. God must have had other plans.

But what about all this perfect stuff? Stay tuned. Being Perfect…the next Note of Encouragement.

 

Ciloa Forever!

 

Chuck

 

 

Chuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa, an international ministry devoted to encouraging others and teaching them how to encourage one another. He is also an author and speaker. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. Learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at www.Ciloa.org.

 

 

Footnotes: (1) Carpenter Bees are similar to Bumble Bees but burrow into wood where they lay their eggs and cause extensive damage. It is widely believed they are in league with satan. (2) Proverbs 16:9a. (3) Proverbs 16:9b.

 

Pictures: Banner: Footsteps, from “The Lord directs the steps of the godly” by Kelly Snelgrove, For God’s Glory Alone Ministries, FGGAM.org. (1) My New Mailbox Post, photo by Chuck Graham. (2) Proverbs 16:9, Etsy Ireland, Etsy.com. (3) Stand Firm, Redbubble.com.