I have been on the lookout lately for an old wooden ladder for our
living room. I want one that is a little
used, but in good enough condition to hang quilts on. I went into a little crafty home store and
looked around. I told the salesclerk
what I was looking for and asked if she could help me. She said that they had one old ladder for
sale, but it was warped and had broken rungs and she was pretty sure it wasn’t
what I was looking for. As we were
looking at it, I told her that I saw one in the other room that was in pretty
good condition. We went to look, but she
was pretty sure is wasn’t for sale, it was just for display. She said that the reason she knew it wasn’t
for sale was because the displays are always in great condition. They are better and sturdier than the ones
actually for sale. The ones for sale
often had broken or loose rungs and lots of wear and tear.
If you’re an avid church-goer, chances are you’ve heard people say
that they are “farther up the ladder” than they used to be. I started thinking about “spiritual ladders”. Some people have ladders that are in pristine
condition. They are on display. They are symbols of Christianity, but in
fact, they never get used. I’m so glad
that my ladder is far from perfect. My
ladder shows the tell-tale signs of use.
The ladder that I’m climbing is full of wear and tear. It’s full of warped wood, maybe where I’ve
shed tears and cried out to Him. It’s
full of splinters, maybe where I’ve had to readjust for the climb. It’s full of broken rungs, maybe where I’ve
spent more time at those places seeking Him.
It’s full of indentions, maybe where I’ve had to hold on a little tighter.
So as I looked at the ladder with the broken rung and loose nails, I
smiled…it was exactly what I was looking for!
“And
he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached
to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it”
Genesis
28:12 KJV
