When our family visited Tybee Island GA, we took in the beautiful scenery and the history of this barrier island. We marveled at the remains of Fort Screven. The fort, built in 1897, served as an integral part of America’s coastal defense system. It was designed to guard the mouth of the Savannah River until the end of World War II. The remains tell us a story from the past and are woven intricately amongst houses.
At one particular location, someone creatively built a house on top of the fort ruins. I can understand why. The remains sit on prime waterfront real estate. In addition to the beautiful views, talk about a solid foundation.
This reminds me of how God uses our past and creates new and beautiful buildings on top. Our history made up of a medley of experiences similar to the fort cement which is mixed with shell, sand, lime, and water. God takes the good and difficult experiences and builds a house for Him to dwell.
Take me for example. I tried for years to distract myself from pain in my past. My mom suffered from severe depression and committed suicide when I was twenty. At thirty-seven, when my foundation started to crack, I decided it was time to “dig up” the past. As God helped me process my grief, I uncovered other sins hidden deep within my soul. As I excavated each one and handed them over to Christ, He started building and restoring my rocky foundation.
I gave Him my grief, anxiety, idols, perfectionism, control, anger, performance orientation (people-pleasing), and lack of healthy boundaries. This act freed me of their substantial weight which I was not meant to carry.
Similar to the house atop a fort wall, I was rebuilt with a strong foundation. God took the rust and crud hidden within and replaced the lies with truth.
Only God could take devastation, repurpose it, and remake it into something for His glory.
Do you have any rusty nails? If so, I recommend letting God remove them so He can patch them with love. You will be amazed by the freedom He dispenses.
Katie T. Kennedy's 