They are building a new convention center in our fair city. There are boards erected all around the site with screened peep holes that allow for observers to monitor activity and progress.

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I keep waiting for something to emerge that looks like the artist’s rendering posted on the plywood barrier. It has been that way forever now, or so it seems. I used to stop and look in, on the course of our morning run. Some time ago now I stopped that practice, disappointed at the lack of measurable and observable progress.

The construction site has reminded me of several life principles. One is that every construction project begins with a hole. That’s right . . . they always dig a big honking hole to start out. That’s because the foundation is critical if a person is going to build

something that will endure.

You have to go down before you can go up.

The structural integrity of a building begins with the foundation. The second is that the taller the building stands, the deeper the hole has to be. You are limited above the surface by what lies below the surface.

Conceivably the superstructure could be built according to design and plan, whether or not the substructure was sufficient to give it stability. The storms, the seismic activity, every day wear and tear tells the tale. Have we gone deep enough? Have we paid attention to the things in life that draw little to no attention from people but great attention and delight from God?

The “Cowboy’s Guide to Life” is something that I frequently refer to. If you haven’t seen it, send me an email and I will pass it along. One of the tidbits says, “If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.” From a spiritual perspective it is different.

“If you find yourself in a hole . . . make sure it’s deep enough.”

Measure the necessary depth by the height of your ambition to do something for God. The bigger the dream, the deeper the hole. Before you can ever build “up” you have to dig “down”. More of your life will be spent on the substructure than the superstructure if the design belongs to God.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” Ps. 127:1