Up on a Rooftop
How did I end up shingling a roof in Grundy County, Tennessee? I am a 5’2″ woman who lives in a neighboring state. I also have a desk job and a slight fear of heights. .
Plus zero personal roofing experience.
Perhaps it was God’s idea.
I belonged to a Christian adult singles group. One of the leaders knew about a ministry called “Mountain T.O.P.” which did home repairs for impoverished families. It sounded interesting, so I signed up.
When we arrived, five Tennessee houses needed roof repair. So the ministry staff took all the volunteers and formed us into 5 teams. Each team contained a leader and people at different skill levels. My level? Clueless, but willing
Learning Roofing Skills
What was my team leader’s first lesson? How to hammer a nail effectively. My second lesson? Getting up on a roof with ease. All week long, I learned new skills. Ripping up old shingles and tar paper. Carrying things up a ladder. Getting safely off the roof. Nailing down new shingles. A professional roofer traveled between the 5 houses, laying down chalk lines, inspecting the work, and making sure the repairs were done right.
My Chimney Crisis
On the third day, my team leader handed me a hammer and a chisel. Pointing at the chimney, he told me to chisel off the ancient, hardened tar around it.
My mind immediately foresaw disaster. What if my chisel slipped? I might damage the chimney or put a hole in the roof. I looked at my team leader and said, “You can fix anything I break, right?” Calmly confident, he replied, “Yes I can.” So I went out and hammered on that chimney hard, until all the tar was gone.
My brilliant roofing career ended a few days later, but I took a lot of pride in my work. As a team, we did a great job.
Jesus’ Carpentry
Jesus worked as a carpenter for years. In biblical times carpenters built everything; chests, doors, tables, chairs, yokes and even the wooden handles for plows, axes and sickles. Perhaps Joseph taught his eldest how to hand-carve designs. Jesus also would repair items, like damaged furniture or broken tools.
Today repairing people is His specialty.
A New Spiritual Insight
As a young Christian on that rooftop in Tennessee, God placed a new truth in my heart: Jesus can fix anything I break.
I’ve repeated this insight to myself often, whenever I’ve messed things up. The thought always comforts me.
Is your life broken, either through your own sin or someone else’s?
Then begin praying and let the Master Carpenter work.
Resources:
My devotion is republished on The Faithful Wanderer by permission of Christian Devotions, a website featuring a different author’s devotion each day. Here’s the link: christiandevotions.us.
To see more of my devotions on that site, search the author page for “Maureen Hall Puccini.”
Mountain T.O.P. stands for the “Tennessee Outreach Project.” My rooftop experience took place over 30 years ago, but the ministry are still operating. The website is mountain-top.org.
