Shacks

Shacks

As a kid, one of my summer past times was to build forts. My brother and I would find a secluded place and build. Our first fort was made out of sumac. Sumac is a large leaf plant that grows just about everywhere in Minnesota. Its main characteristics are large green leaves that turn red in the fall and its sticky, smelly sap.

A few summers later we built our first tree fort across the street from out home. We took discarded lumber from a building site; procured a saw, nails and ladder from our garage. About ten feet up the oak tree, we built a platform then walls and finally a roof. A perfect hideout where we could escape from home, smoke cigarettes and preview certain magazines.

The problem was the fort was unsafe. It was unstable; wet when it rained and unfit for human habitation. It wasn’t a fort; it was a shack. Discarded tar paper and an old canvas tarp couldn’t keep us dry. Looking back, it was the first sign that neither of us were destined for the construction business.

Our dad taught us that if something was worth doing, it was worth doing right. It was a good thing that he never visited our dilapidated fort in the oak tree. We didn’t forget the wise words of our father. We haven’t forgotten the good times in the fort.

Every time I read the opening verse of Psalms 127, I think about the fort we built. Funny how the mind attaches itself to specific images. Maybe that’s why the Bible still speaks to the heart of humankind. The first verse of the psalm in The Message goes like this: “If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.”

Over the years I have built a lot of shacks. The kind of shacks that come from my ideas and not God’s. The kind of shacks that were duct taped together because I wanted my way. Shacks that did not stand the test of time. Some went down in flames and others fell down under the pressure of my strong will. A graveyard of shacks. Hopefully I have learned my lesson.

The Lord is a wise Master Builder!