Somewhere before or after my senior year of high school (I forget which), we underwent a major construction project on the farm. We tore down our existing corrals (part of which had been there for nearly 100 years!) and built a new set.
This was my largest construction project to date, and it only included pipe and oil field cable. But it was something my dad had been planning for a while.
As we built, obviously my dad knew how he wanted the layout. Do you care to guess what we built around?
It wasn’t the new loading chute, though that was part of our plan.
It wasn’t the new sorting lane, though that was part of our plan.
It wasn’t the new crowding pin, though that was part of our plan.
It was water.
Everything else could have been built anywhere on the place. Our water supply, however, was in a specific place. So we built the new corrals around our water tank.
I’m going to confess something. This COVID19 interruption has thrown me for a loop. It’s taken everything I’ve spent the last 12 months to establish (my 1 year anniversary was the last Sunday we met in person), and taken it to the ground.
I value routine. That’s part of why I’ve been able to blog so consistently for 3+ years. It’s part of my rhythm. But what happens when my rhythm gets challenged? What happens when you level the old corrals and start new?
You build around the water.
Months ago I spent some time adding some structure to the direction I want the ministry I lead to head. We rolled out a new logo in January that represents that new direction. And in the middle of this, that new direction is what has kept me grounded. That direction, or purpose, or vision, or whatever you want to call it, has been my water.
What’s your water? What are you building around in this time of shifting? Do you need to take some time to determine what your water is?
Stay faithful to what’s important today, and let the rest build on itself.