Part II The story continues

…Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross despising its shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2b)

We have entered the endurance phase of our construction project.  As cold wind moved in last Saturday and Sunday work outdoors become uncomfortable. Like a whipped dog I ran back to my warming box several times. Thankfully God is granting us a mild fall to continue our project wearing shirtsleeves and light jackets. 

Endurance challenges are very captivating to watch. Television shows about them are numerous. My sister and my cousin’s daughter have both trained for marathons and half marathons. They do this to keep their bodies healthy. Training gives rheir exercise  purpose.  Having a goal keeps them running. 

My family has some vetey interesting table manners   It has become a tradition to find out what is for desert before the meal even gets set on the table. The joke is that if you’re not blood you eat too much at the meal and don’t save room for the most important course!  It seems that some merely endure the meal just to have the sweets table. 

Taking pictures of the Gee-Oh! Dome has become a new favorite pass time. So the other day I took a picture of the star surrounding the center pentagon of our Geodesic structure. As I was looking at the shapes from down in the bottom of the pond, I got to thinkingabout a ommon saying. 

A birds eye view. “Looking at things from up above or looking at problems in a generally overview with a trouble shooting mindset.”  Surely we have longed for this  perspecrive through this construction phase. Especially while we look at the trouble of our door framing situation. 

But considering my vantage point from down in the pond for this picture I contemplated the “fish’s eye view.”  Not for long though. I decided I’d rather not stay there. I rather enjoyed looking up!  

Humans are designed to look up. We naturally consider the noise of a distant airplane and look up to discover the flying machine. Like plants stretching upwards to receive the lights power to feed them “sugar,” we look forward. What is up ahead of us lends us finish-line focus. 

None of this compares to the endurance that Christ accomplished for us on the cross. The verse above was certainly not meant to be so commonly overviewd. However, one last connecting bolt can’t be avoided. 

The pentagon is a shape often used to designate a house. It quite fascinated me that the house was in the star   Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for me John 14:2, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” We have a home in the stars (heaven) being prepared for us. 

The joy that Jesus clung to while He endured the cross was the place set for Him at the right hand of His Father. As I watch my husband and his father work together I am reminded frequently of that need for another hand. Some times things just work better when you have another set of hands.  The carpenters clamps are wonderful but climbing up and down from one ladder to the other can get very wearisome.  Right hand helpers are good. The relationship of the Son to the Fathe at His right hand is one of honor and privilege. 

Knowing the atmosphere of the Gee-Oh! Dome from others experiences gives me a joy and excitement that is much like a bubbling soda. This uncontained joy reminds me of my dog’s kangaroo leaps when visitors come. Preparing a greenhouse for plants to call home has me thinking frequently of Jesus preparing my room in glory. There is lots of quiet time when painting the linseed oil on all that wood. As Christ knew His furure, and that hope provided Him endurance for the darkest of hours, so knowing His preparations for me give me hope and joy that spills over into every aspect of life.