Kind of skipped over this in my reading of First Peter, but went back this morning to the first verses of chapter two. Here was something to which I could easily relate in two ways.
Firstly, my memories of building a retaining wall of cement blocks started with the lowest spot, where I placed the corner stone. People thought I had lost my marbles when they saw how far down I dug the hole for the footing and then dug a much deepet hole in which to place the reinforcing rods that would be surrounded by cement. Then we placed the first block. That block was below the sidewalk – everybody else just dug a little trench and laid down some cement and started building their walls. But I did not want my wall to be moved by the earth it was going to hold back.[more]
Looking back all those years, and returning to the scene of my labors has found the wall "rock solid." Once the foundation was secured, the wall held firm.
Peter in verses 4 through 8 lays out a construction scene not unlike that. Lives – our lives need to have a "sure" corner upon which the rest of the life gets built. If we were to build our walls or homes like we build our lives, what would they be like. Slipping and sliding, moving with the mud or sand.
The second thing about corner stones is that they were what all measurements for the house, barn, temple were based on. Nowadays, we hire a surveyor to mark the boundaries of the property and where things should be, but check with any builder – they still start in one corner and work from there following the plans of the architect.
Who is my architect, and who or what is my corner stone? Will my life be built to stand the trials of living?