June 8th, 2022: Lessons from Building a Pergola

My children have very little faith in my carpentry ability. So they're apprehensive to hear that I wanted to build a floating pergola for our backyard. We have a lower deck needs some upgrades.

I did some research and looked at some pre-cut packages. None of them fit the area, and they don't have what I was hoping for. So I started from scratch.

Visualization: athletes know this well when preparing for their games. I put what I saw in my head on paper. It is not a bad idea that we should start our day with some time with God and know how to anticipate the day. 

Design: it is time to be more specific and get into the needed details. The structural integrity and the proper materials are essential. What I did not know, I consulted with friends who know. Learning how to live our lives always starts with priorities. We need to consider what we need and what we do not know. We need others to help us to live meaningful lives.

Preparation work: this took longer than the building time itself for me. I measured and doubled-checked on my measurements before doing some pre-cutting and drilling work. It is always helpful for us to walk through things with God in our prayers before going out and doing things. We might want to consider the people we meet and revisit our last interaction with them.

Building: we should not stray away from what we planned even though we might need to be flexible. Our flexibility needs good planning. Effective planning always anticipates the need for changes. Working with people is like that. We only know what we know and always ask God for revelation so we can be flexible.

So now you have it.

Luke 14:28

"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?"

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."