Not Natural

Today is my day off and I'm working hard at completing a few items on the old "honey-do list."  For those of you who may not know, my parents retired in November after 51 years in the ministry and we bought a house with a place for them to live with us.  It has been a wonderful arrangement and other than the good natured jabs that my dad makes at his "onery daughter-in-law" it has been really peaceful.  The house needed a few enhancements to make it just right for two families to live in comfortably.  As a result, I now have the blessing of two "honey-do lists," one for my wife and one for my mother.  So today, I'm working on both.  I started out building a deck in the back for the folks, but the weather isn't cooperating right now, so I finally got the decorative curtain rods that Shelley got for Christmas hung in the living room.  It only took 3 months to do a 45 minute job. 
One thing that I am learning is that I am not cut out for the building trades.  I am only half way through the deck project and my desk jockey hands are covered with blisters from digging post holes through a rock pile.  Every muscle in my body hurts from lugging around treated lumber and bags of concrete.  And I've perforated my fingers trying to get decking screws started with the cordless drill.  Thanks to Brother Steve, our church's missionary handyman, I have the right tools and a great start, but I have figured out that this kind of thing is just not what I was designed to do.  My gifts and calling lie in other areas.
There is a pretty good spiritual analogy in all of this.  God has brought His people together in the local church to do a wide variety of tasks so that the ultimate work of building His kingdom can be accomplished.  Each one of us is given a set of tools and a heart's passion for some area of that work.  Together, we can do great things, but none of us can do it all.  It is important that we seek out that area of the work that we are best suited for and get busy so that God's church can go forward. 
But here at home, I'm the one best suited for these jobs, so I guess I'd better get back to work.  Next week, I'm pouring a sidewalk.  I hope I get to the "Play golf" item on the list before too long. :0)