Caulk Makes It What It Ain't

One size does not fit all. People fall through the cracks. Whether it is life in general, or life in community of a church these are quaint sayings that deal with the frustration in relationships. First of all, we are not all alike. It would be good for all of us to accept that and appreciate the differences; but it doesn’t usually work that way. Positive relationships is what strengthens people. People that rise out of poverty or escape the bondage of addictions have good support systems. Yet not all people have such networks of friends to support them. The church tries very hard to do this through small groups. Most churches will have a motto for their small groups to encourage doing life together, because we know it can be difficult. The problem is that not all people are alike, and inevitably someone gets left out. This is not to discount people that do not fit neatly into the 18-22 or the 30-35 married or 30-35 single groups for example. What about the 54 and handicapped? What about the 19 not married and pregnant? What about the 49 and just got out of jail? On and on it goes. —- So how do we help those that do not fit the pre-made models or just have a little tougher time coping with group dynamics? It takes caring individuals to notice, that to no fault of the group or the individual necessarily, that someone is straggling behind. When someone is spotted falling through the cracks, it calls for a solution not a complaint. There is no quick-fix. It will take time, and it will call for going outside the box. —- The very best builder has to use caulk. When it is time to finish all the wood working, the base-board, cabinets, etc. in a house there will be these little gaps between walls and boards, no matter how skilled the workers are. The skilled cabinet maker and the carpenter have done their best, but everything didn’t fit perfectly. It rarely does. The same goes for our connecting together in relationships. Every single person does not fit neatly into their age group for whatever reason. —-When it comes time to finish the building of the house, a construction worker walks every room with the caulk gun to fill in the gaps, because “Caulk makes it what it ain’t.” Whether in church or life in general, we have family and friends fall through the cracks, because there are gaps. Since everyone does not fit neatly into a group, blaming the group is a waste of time. It is usually the natural reaction, but instead it is time to step up and fill in the gap, and make it what it ain’t. —- The next time you see someone being left out, go get them. Bring them in. Don’t judge the group that they didn’t fit in. God pointed them out to you to fill in the gap. The truth is that somewhere or sometime we have been in that awkward spot of not fitting in. Praise the Lord for that person that reached out to us. Isn’t it about time that you reach out? If you don’t have a group to bring them into, have you considering mentoring someone? Oftentimes, it takes just a little coaching or encouragement to help a brother or sister connect. Make a difference in someone else’s life, because doing life alone stinks. We were built for community.