My father was a builder. He was good at his job. It wasn’t until later in life that I appreciated how skilled he was. He never finished high school in his native Finland. Because of this, one would assume that he wasn’t a great student. And, apparently, you need math to build well. Yet, even without a high school diploma, he knew math well enough to build beautiful houses from the ground up. He wasn’t one to leave snow in the corner.
I wanted to help
I have a vivid memory from my childhood. One day, I went to visit one of Dad’s building sites. He was building a house to sell. And the site was just a few minutes walk from our house. It was winter, and fresh snow dusted the unfinished house. I wandered around without much to do. Then, Dad asked if I wanted to help.
Of course I wanted to help! He needed me to wipe the snow away from a corner. He was preparing to install a piece of wood (for those builders out there, it was a 2×4). I had gloves on and haphazardly wiped the snow out of where he needed to place the plank. After I finished clearing the snow, I called out to him, “I did it!” He wasn’t convinced that I got all the snow out. So he said, “Do it again.” Sighing heavily, I wiped the corner again and signaled a thumbs up. He moved the board into place. And then, he drew a line on the board. He needed to cut it so it would fit in the space properly.
Leaving snow was not an option
The cut was made and Dad went to fit the wood into place. He came to where I was standing. And he saw that there was still snow in the corner. “I asked you to get the snow out of the corner! Now this board is useless, it won’t fit because you didn’t do as I asked.” My visit ended. My father was fuming and I knew my absence was required.
I didn’t understand something then. The house he was building would need to pass inspection at various stages of the process. Dad understood that if there were too many careless faults, inspectors would demand repairs. These faults needed fixing before building continued. A failed inspection has the potential to cost a lot of money. Leaving snow in the corner was not an option for Dad.
The consequences of leaving snow in the corner
Building is what all of us do with our lives. We have a choice: to either build haphazardly or with focus. I’ve chosen to focus. Early in life I was careless. I thought little about the consequences of leaving snow in the corner. It wasn’t until I had left enough snow in enough corners that I realized that failed inspections are costly.
I’ve been reading this week from the book of Exodus the well-known account of God’s people leaving Egypt. The account is full of life lessons. This year, something unique stood out to me. It reminded me of the time when I didn’t clear out the snow.
Not a hoof left behind
You can read in chapters 7-15 of Exodus, where the entire account of Israel leaving Egypt is outlined. God first worked in the life of Moses. Once the leader was ready to lead, as imperfect as he was, God worked wonders. Most of the time in this process, whenever Moses asked for the people to be released, Pharaoh declined. Still, there are a couple of times that Pharaoh said he would let the people go. In those instances, he had conditions:
- After the plague of flies (see Ex. 8:20-32), Pharaoh said he would let the people go but they were not to go “very far away.”
- After the plague of darkness (see Ex. 10:16-29) Pharaoh said he was willing to let the people go but “your flocks and your herds” must stay behind.
At this point, after the plague of darkness, Pharaoh said the people can go. Yet, he stipulated that they had to leave the livestock behind. Moses drew a line in the sand. He said in Ex. 10:26 (NASB) “Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind.” By saying this, Moses made his intentions clear. He was wiping all the snow out of the corner. Nothing was going to be left undone. Not even a hoof was to be left. He was going to follow directions to the “crossing of the ‘t’ and the dotting of every ‘i’.”
Not haphazardly or half-heartedly
This time, as I read about the Exodus and Moses’ determination to precision, I felt challenged. I realized that there have been times in my life I’ve fallen into the pit of laziness. I’ve not served God with precision or intention. This story has renewed my determination to serve God fully, not haphazardly or half-heartedly. I won’t be perfect. There will surely be times that the snow remains in the corner and God will have to cut another board. But, as I serve Him, I will try not to leave a hoof behind. I will offer Him my best.
What gave Moses the determination he had to follow through with this process? How was he capable of handling not only the resistance of Pharaoh but also the rejection of his own people? The answer is simple. He was careful to stay close to God. From the time Moses was called (see Ex. 3:4) until his death (see Deut. 34:1-12) he spent time with God. The Bible records him being someone who talked with God “just as a man speaks to his friend” (see Ex. 33:11).
What do we need to make it successfully in life? To fulfill the purpose God has for us? We need to walk with Him, to stay close as we can every day. When we do this, we won’t leave a hoof behind. And, there will be fewer times that we leave snow in the corners of life.
I don’t want to fail inspection, that could be costly.
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