Iowa just set a record rainfall amount for the month of June. In fact we beat the previous record by almost 6 inches. The airport reported 16.65 inches for June swamping the May 1903 record of 11.78 inches. In my home that is an important statistic. In a matter of 48 hours, I received over 8 inches of rain at my home. My 7 foot retaining wall decided it could not hold that much water and it collapsed.
The wall was a problem when we started landscaping, but over the last 7 years, it has held up well . . . . that is until last month. I immediately started the work to rebuild the wall. I gained a new appreciation for Nehemiah and his 42 day project. I was able to accomplish mine in a matter of a few weeks, but I noticed a small problem. Apparently when I set the bottom row of blocks, I was off about a quarter of an inch. This small number was insignificant for the bottom 4 rows. As I started to get taller, the 1/4 of an inch became magnified with each additional row. By the time I got two rows from the top, my wall was off about 2 1/2 inches. It bowed noticeable outward and I had resolved that it would need to be redone.
I was planning on rebuilding it later this summer or early fall. Those plans changed when we got a 2 inch rain in 20 minutes over the weekend. I looked out my office window to notice the wall in a pile of block and mud. It was a lesson learned the hard way. In a hurry to finish the wall, I neglected to pay attention to the small details (1/4 of an inch to be exact).
It reminded me of an important ministry principle. Neglect the small things and they tend to grow and magnify over time. I can give you all the reasons that I didn’t pay attention to that small 1/4 of an inch, but in the end, it will cost me more time and money than doing it right the first time. If you want to talk to me this summer, I will be out rebuilding my wall, but I will take my time and do it right this time.
THOT – What small things are you neglecting for the sake of time? Will those things multiply and cost you more in the future? What would happen if we stopped and took care of those things now?
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