How a New Roof Reminds me of God's Love
One day during spring, my husband discovered a small leak in the ceiling of our guest room. More quickly than we expected, the small leak turned into a larger leak. After many consultations and patiently waiting for workmen to arrive, the whole house received a new roof.
The overhead noise created by the removal of the old roof and the replacement of the new one lasted for two days. Exposed to the summer heat and threats of afternoon rain, the workmen worked long, hot hours to get a new roof over our heads.
Several times during the wait and the work, my mind travelled back to the teaching about a roof in Ann Voskamp’s book, The Broken Way. In the chapter titled, Love is a Roof for All Our Brokenness, Ann quotes 1Corinthians 13:7 “Love bears all things” and then explains, ‘“To bear,” is stego in Greek and literally means a thatch roof.’
“Love is a roof.”
Real love bears hard things and keeps you safe.
Real love protects and shelters you.
Real love fights to mend broken relationships, reconcile distant hearts, and patiently waits for a wrong mindset to change.
The challenges we may face at times with a loved one is to keep loving them when they create the storms that bear down on our home. Or to keep reaching out to the very one who keeps pulling away. And to lean into the winds and torrential downpours when it would be easier to give up.
But even a new solid roof built from love doesn’t mean we can sit back in comfort because the storms will stop pounding. They won't. Often they continue. The only real security we have is God’s presence in any difficulty we face.
Ann also wrote, “Jesus deeply unsettled the comfortable and comforted the unsettled.”
Jesus went out of His way to seek the hurting. Jesus goes out of His way to seek you in your discomfort. Jesus wants to bear your burden and be stego for you- a safe place.
Some bear wounds so deep it seems they may never heal. Others carry loads so heavy the weight is crushing. And I know of those who hide secrets because the shame of acknowledgement would burn too hotly.
Still, Jesus wants to bear all of it.
Jesus is calling out to you to “come.” Let Him heal your wounds. Let Him bear your load. Let Him be a safe place for your shame. Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing frightens Him away or is too great a burden to bear for you.
His offer is the comfort of His presence in your pain. His gift is to shelter you in the storms. His blessing is to supply what you need.
The days are uncertain. Disease, the economy, and relationships are forcing us out of our comfort zones and into a place of the unknown.
But in the unknown, comfort is found in God's Word.
Psalm 91:1 says,
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
When conflict, addiction, and disrespect slam into our homes with no warning and cloud our sense of what to do.
Psalm 91:4 points us in the right direction,
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
If your home feels crowded and overwhelming because of the current reality,
Psalm 91:14 is a source of encouragement,
“Because He loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges my name.”
Remember: God’s great love is stego: a roof for shelter, protection, relief, and hope.
He provides an escape from all the dangers that plague you, frighten you, and every battle raging under your roof.
While you wait for the storms to pass, let Him hide you under the shelter of His wings. His protection will bring you comfort for all the uncertainties in your life.
When you feel there is no hope to be found, look to the One who sustains you with His perfect comfort, peace, and hope.
Waiting with you,
Susan