Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of painting.  It’s amazing what a gallon or two of a new color will do to refresh our surroundings, and change the atmosphere.  It’s a lift that costs very little, and yet can make such a big difference.  

I don’t work fast, but I manage to see a project through till completion.  Somehow, I’ve mastered the art of patching and sanding, and getting my lines straight enough that I am the only one who sees where I might have done better with a little extra tape. I dare say, that I am finding my weekend endeavors quite satisfying, if not downright fun. 

Before you think I am tooting my own horn, or soliciting for you to hire me for your next project, I assure you, that’s not my intention.  It’s just that when you spend a quiet evening with a paint brush in your hand, you think about stuff.  Such is the case with me, and what came to mind recently, as I moved and climbed a simple ladder over and over again for what felt like days.  Ladders, I came to understand, have lessons, too.

I know you have heard the adage about the man who worked and worked to climb the Ladder of Success, only to find that when he got to the top, it was leaning against the wrong wall.  What he had thought he wanted, would make him happy, would define him, he gave his all to it.  He had pushed passed the nay sayers, the warnings, the thoughts that maybe he should be paying attention to other things.  He was going after his dream, and no one would stop him. Everything and everyone else were relegated to second place.  When he finally reached his goal, those whom he had treated with indifference - his family and friends - were gone.   

I got to thinking about this.  People that I have known, and perhaps even myself at times, who go after something passionately because it is their desire, their “right” to have it.  We don’t  give thought to what this will do to others who love us.  We only think, “By golly, it’s my life!”

I love the saying, “You can’t pick up one end of the stick, without picking up the other.”  Everything we do in life, has far-reaching consequences.  We just don’t always stop to think about them.  We think that how we act, or respond, or discount, or consume, or ignore, should have no bearing on others, as long as it’s in pursuit of what we want. 

Just ask a kid who grew up in a home where there was addiction what that’s like. Young, or well past the point of grown, there is a mark that doesn’t leave us. Ever.

Sometimes, we think about God as being this miracle making, pixie dust throwing, everything’s gonna be alright, kind of God.  We can just blunder our way through life, and He’s going to fix us. Though He does do miracles, this is simply not true.  God is always with us.  He surrounds us with His presence. He lifts us out of dark places.  He makes a way where there seems to be no way… But He needs us to take a step.  He needs us to climb up, to reach out to Him, so that we move in the right direction. 

There are always going to be hurts and difficulties and struggles and challenges.  Just like we can’t protect our own children from having to go through them, God can’t inoculate us from them either.  Our faith is going to be tested.  We are going to get bumps and bruises.  It’s just the way life is.  

What we can do, however, is be mindful of what wall our ladders are leaning against.  Are they secure in doing what is right?  Are they held by our integrity? Our character? Our faith?  Or are they against shaky walls that will cause us to fall in the end?

Every life has ladders.  We have them with our work, our finances, our friends, our families.  We have them with our physical health and well being.  You can’t climb a ladder in shortcuts. We can’t hop onto the fifth rung and not somehow hurt ourselves.  We have to take them one at the time — thoughtfully, mindfully, carefully.  

God lets us choose where we put our ladders.  You may think you are doing well, winning, living the life… But each rung has a name:  Love, Honesty, Faithfulness, Obedience, Respect… If your feet firmly take these steps, no matter how hard the climb may be at times, you will always know that when you get to the top, it will be against the right wall.  

It doesn’t matter what mistakes you make.  It doesn’t matter if your lines are not perfect.  It doesn’t matter that there are drips and places you could have done better if you had noticed them, weren’t distracted, hadn’t gotten tired.  Our lives are full of these, and they come out still being beautiful.  We put in the time.  We do the work.  We care. We love. We try.

The great thing about ladders…? You can always move them.  You can always retrace your steps. You can always straighten them, fix them, make them sturdy.

Sometimes, a fresh coat of paint is just what we need to believe again. 

Where’s your ladder? It’s never too late to find out.