IT’S LIKE BUILDING A HOUSE…
An Analogy…
It’s like building a house.
Except it’s not your house. It’s the Lord’s house. So guess who the general contractor is?
Not you. It’s Him. Because it’s His house. And in this case, it’s not really a house, it’s a church. His church–The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The name of the church tells you who owns the house–He does. Jesus Christ.
So guess who’s in charge of building it? Not you…Him! It’s His house, not yours. You just get to visit it. And help build it. But He owns it, so He gets to call the shots. Just like a general contractor.
But in order to build it, the general contractor needs sub-contractors. That’s where you and I come in. That’s what we are. And that’s how we get involved in building a house.
You Need Subcontractors in Building a House
Some of us are good electricians; and some of us are good plumbers; some of us could write books about how to hang wallpaper, and some of us have this uncanny ability to put up sheet rock. Those are talents. They came from Him, the general contractor.
It’s important to remember that sub-contractors don’t just show up when they want to; they’re called upon when they’re needed. And timing is everything. A general contractor does not call for the painters before the walls have been put up. He does not call for the wiring to go in before there are any floors. So as a sub-contractor, you show up when the general contractor calls you. Not before; not after; when he calls you. As a member missionary, you show up when He calls you–because He’s in charge, not you.
In October General Conference of 2001, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said this about our timing as member missionaries: “It is His work, not ours, and it must be done in His way and on His timing, not ours. Otherwise, our efforts may be fated to frustration and failure.” I agree.
People are like houses–they’re built one step at a time. Knowledge is like a house too–it’s built one step at a time or “…line upon line, precept upon precept.” (2 Nephi 28:30) Testimonies–and knowledge of the great restoration of the gospel–are also built one step at a time.
Someone once said a person has seven contacts with Church members before they are ready to join it. If that’s true, then you and I get to be part of the seven. It’s not going to happen all at once. You climb a ladder one step at a time, not seven steps at a time.
The Lord Knows His Sheep–And His Subcontractors
So the Lord is building a church and you and I are subcontractors. If you are a shy person, do you think He’s going to give you an extroverted job to do? I doubt it. That’s not your talent. So stop worrying about being a good preacher or having answers to all the gospel questions. That’s what the full-time missionaries are there for. They have a special calling; you don’t. So don’t worry about trying to do their job; that’s a waste of time. The guys (and gals) who show up on a construction site to install the kitchen cabinets, but have absolutely no clue how to answer questions about bathroom tile, don’t need to worry about answering bathroom tile questions. The tile guys (and gals) can do that. You just need to help put in the kitchen cabinets.
Houses are built when a specialized sub-contractors do their jobs as they’re asked to do it. Do what you’re asked to do when you’re asked to do it. And what’s amazing in the case of the Church, is that the General Contractor in this case can do all of the sub-contractors jobs perfectly. So, lean on Him for inspiration to do your job and don’t worry about doing someone else’s job.
Different Subcontractors? Different Talents
I believe there are all kinds of people out there, whom the Lord has been working with over time. You can help them move a little bit more forward if you have something to give them that explains why they should hang out in this house with you.
An Articles of Faith card is a great example. If you have it, you can give it away; if you don’t have it, you can’t give it away. HAVE SOMETHING WITH YOU THAT HAS BROAD APPEAL AND CAN CONNECT WITH PEOPLE ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ISSUES OR AREAS. AN ARTICLES OF FAITH CARD HAS 13 DIFFERENT AREAS OF DOCTRINE AND INTEREST AND ANY ONE OF THEM MIGHT GRAB THE ATTENTION OF A STRANGER WHO CROSSES YOUR PATH.
Remember, building a house is not your primary responsibility. Your job is to show up and do your part when the general contractor, (the Lord) calls you.
I visit temples often. We call those “The House of the Lord.” He builds a fabulous house. No one builds buildings like Him.
The Cedar City Utah Temple, one of our newest dedicated temples.
He’s going to use your talents, your abilities, your experiences, your likes and dislikes, to help someone else who needs that particular building block in their spiritual lives at the right time. The Lord knows when it’s the right time since He’s been working with these people for probably years. He knows what they need; you don’t. So let the Lord guide you and you will be successful. Time and time again.
God bless you as a wonderful sub-contractor. The Lord can’t build a house without you!
building a house, construction, follow the spirit, general contractor, member missionary work, subcontractor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
