Being in community is like building a Lincoln log cabin. (!!! I just realized why all those Christian hipsters are wearing flannels! They’re simply channeling their inner spiritual lumberjack.) You might first think you want all the best pieces of wood, the strongest, the most polished, nothing missing, or extra added on. Whenever I played with Lincoln logs I wanted the nice painted ones that look like siding (because who doesn’t want a fake cabin with bright orange fake siding?!). But if you’ve ever played with Lincoln logs you know that’s not the case. The flat boards that are nicely painted, they look great, but they’re not really useful except for the roof. You can’t actually make anything out of them.
In order to start building a structure you have to look for the logs that have the notches. The most useful logs are ones with pieces missing. The Lord has given each of us our own personal notches. Things in our life that have wounded us, taken a piece out of our heart or our life. But the truth is, those notches aren’t weaknesses. They are not qualities that disqualify us from being effective or useful. Quite the contrary in fact. One of the sweetest things about training camp was listening to and seeing people own their notches – in some cases recognize their notches for the first time. The reason why it is so important to share your hurts, pains, and failures is because the likelihood is that your notch mirrors someone else’s. Loss, pain, grief, sorrow…they’re not singular, that is one of the tragedies of this fallen world. But the beauty of God’s grace is that he takes that reality and redeems it for his purpose and for our good. When we reveal our loss and pain to one another, we allow our notches to compliment each other’s. And you are stronger because of it. Both of you are. And the cycle continues throughout the whole lincoln log cabin. Everyone’s vulnerabilities are usable and important. And even if they are not immediately usable for the support and stability of your community structure right now, I’m sure they will make for great character and decoration (Joanna Gaines would definitely agree with me on this one.)
The foundational pieces in a Lincoln log house actually look like half the other logs, as in, the other logs cut in half (stupid english idioms making things confusing). And they have notches in addition to that. They look like the most useless and weird pieces in the box, but they’re the ones you need to have a sturdy structure.
So if you think you’re full of holes, notches, blemishes and marks,
DO NOT FILL THEM.
Don’t fill them with bad relationships, alcohol, perfectionism, a false gospel, despair, drugs, apathy, etc. etc. RECOGNIZE them and OPEN THEM UP TO THE LORD. Because only then can HE fill them. And like Lincoln logs, in FILLING the notches he USES them. Read that again. Not only to fill you, but to build up and make you an integral part of his Lincoln Log cabin.
If you do not trust the Lord with the pain and shame your left to deal with it in the best way you know how. For me, that is NOT a good thing. I would rather trust my hurts to someone who has conquered pain and conquered death. He already did it!
IT. IS. FINISHED.
PRAISE THE LORD!!
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:3
