Under Construction

    A few years ago I was driving by a funeral home in North Haven and a sign out front caught my eye. It said, "Under Construction:  please pardon our appearance as we go through some changes...." there was quite a bit more explaining what they were doing, but the first part of it was the bit that got my attention. I began thinking about the phrase 'under construction' and how it could apply to my home in the process of raising our children. Being the writer that I am, this got my thought process going in full swing and I began to write a poem that focused on this particular topic. It has taken over a few years to come to its final end, but I now have a copyrighted poem that I am going to share with you. Raising children is a difficult task and without having the Lord in our life, I do not know where we would be today. They are gifts on loan from Him, and since He trusts us to raise these tender young ones for Him, I want to do my best with the ones He has put into our care so one day they can go out and do His work. 
        The poem, listed below, can be understood in two ways:  first of all, simply having children in the home can mean toys scattered everywhere, little socks lying around the floor, brushes and barrettes scattered on the table, lego pieces on every possible sitting space, toothpaste smeared all over the sink...you name it and it is probably there. But the second way to understand the poem is simply the fact that we are normal people, with normal issues and problems. We may be struggling with pride, contention, or envy, but our lives are a work in progress. Our spirits are under construction and we can honestly say, "He's still working on me..." Both ideas were my intention when I wrote this poem. Let me share it with you now: 
        
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Please pardon our appearance
While you visit as our guest;
Though construction’s in the process,
May your time with us be blessed.
                                                                               
With lots of little children,
Making messes everywhere;
The work is never ending,
And a spotless house is rare.

 We’re building mighty warriors,
For the army of the Lord; 
Our Father gives us wisdom, 
When to Him our heart is poured.

The Bible is the Blueprint,
God created long ago,
Showing us the path to take,
To help our children grow.

These precious little arrows,
Sent from heaven up above,
Have hearts so young and tender;
We must guide them with our love.

So, please excuse the mess you see,
‘N ignore the mass destruction;
For as long as earthly souls abide,
We’ll always be under construction.

Cara Simmons  ©2011