The deck just outside the patio doors was in bad shape. The wood had rotted in certain spots. The prospect of someone putting their foot right through it was not exactly a pleasant thought.

Bruce, a member of our church surveyed the damage. He felt that we would likely get no more than another year’s use out of it. He also said that he could simply replace a board or two and make the deck safe for now. We told him to go ahead.

The only unknown was the condition of the framework on which these boards rested.

When Bruce took a couple of boards off, he remarked that the base was still in great shape. This meant that we would simply need to replace all the boards on the surface. We did a quick estimate, decided that our budget could handle it and proceeded to put new boards down.

We were grateful to previous owners who had ensured that the framework had been put up properly with quality materials and workmanship so we didn’t have to tinker with it.

In I Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul says: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire…” (vs. 11-13)

Although Paul is using the metaphor of a house, his message is similar. As long as the basic structure is safe and secure, then you have a number of options to build on top of it, all the way from gold and silver at one end of the spectrum to hay and straw at the other end–that which is enduring to that which is easily removed and replaced.

The good news is that when the framework is strong and sturdy, then you can replace the surface materials without having to mess around with the support structure all over again. I learned that it would actually cost quite a bit more to replace the framework than it did for the surface boards.

Holy Spirit began to point out to me how this has been true of my life. My parents gave me the structural stability on which I could build and grow in faith. The boards with which I started are not there anymore—for example, traditions that were no longer needed or doctrines that had outlived their usefulness.

But, praise God, the framework is still solid, so that new boards could take their place—spiritual disciplines such as fasting and soaking, healing of the heart, unrestrained worship, gifts of the Spirit such as prophecy and healing—to name a few.

He wanted me to examine the framework that Sulojana and I have been building for our children. Is it solid enough for them to replace the boards when the time comes?

He has also been prompting me to modify the framework of ministry—from being pastor-led to the five-fold designed by Jesus for the Church in Ephesians 4:11.

Dear DWOD friend, perhaps this is a time for you also to examine the framework on which your life has been built—whether by your birth parents or spiritual father/mother or Mother Church. Let this also be a reminder of the framework you are building for the future generations.

As you advance towards your destiny, replacing boards is inevitable from time to time. It is in those moments that you will realize how much the framework matters.