Again This Year?

Again This Year?

All of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God.

Romans 15:6

When I was a kid, we lived in a small, two-bedroom house typical of homes in the 1950s—wood floors, wallpaper, little insulation, no air-conditioning, screen doors, and a wraparound front porch. Next to the kitchen was a hallway—about ten feet long and six feet wide. My dad envisioned taking out the wall between the kitchen and hall to make a larger eating area.

Every spring Dad would say, “When it gets a little warmer, I’m gonna take out that wall and make this room bigger. Don’t you think that’s a good idea, honey?”

Mom—a witty but wise woman—would reply sweetly, “Yes, dear, I think that’s a great idea. When should you start?”

Dad would reply without commitment, “Oh, when it gets a little warmer.” And then he never got around to the project.

This conversation was repeated every spring for six or seven years. It was predictable. Part of the family routine.

One year, spring popped out, and the wall conversation came up at dinner one night. Dad said, “When it gets a little warmer, I’m gonna take out that wall and make this room bigger. Don’t you think that’s a good idea, honey?”

This time, Mom peered over the top of her glasses at Dad, grinned impishly, and said, “Oh boy, we gonna do that again this year?”

Dad, surprised and a little offended, looked up at her, saw her grin, and laughed in embarrassment. Then he laughed. “Maybe when it gets warmer.” He never did take out that wall.

Ever since then, when things don’t get done as planned, someone laughs and says, “Oh boy, we gonna do that again this year?” It’s a favorite family joke.

Don’t you know God wants to say that to us, too, when we keep planning to do things for him but we just don’t get around to them?

Father God, thank you for second chances and continuing opportunities to do things that bring glory to you. Amen.