Christian comedian Dennis Swanberg tells the story of a church having condensation problems from its air conditioners during a Sunday morning Easter service. A couple of the deacons decided to be heroes, as Swanberg notes. They climbed in the attic right above hundreds of worshippers, in order to correct the problem. As fate would have it, one of the well meaning deacons walked through the sheetrock in the ceiling. According to Swanberg, you could see his legs dangling down. One attendee that morning noted on his way out that he had told his wife that the roof would cave in, if he attended church! Of course such a dramatic event made Easter Sunday a lot more enjoyable for most everyone present that day!

Every time I have to go up in our attic to retrieve something stored up there, I think of the deacon coming through the ceiling on Easter Sunday. I am of course extra careful to walk on the joists, and not directly on the sheetrock. I wish such caution was a consistent theme in all of my choices.

When we walk on solid ground or solid wood in the attic, we have nothing to fear. When we walk on a surface that is not so sturdy, it creates all kinds of issues. The Scripture says: “God’s solid foundation stands firm.” (2 Timothy 2:19)
The statement is made in the context of false teachers misrepresenting the truth.
When I walk on his firm foundation, life is good. When I get careless and stray, it is just a matter of time before I put my foot through the ceiling.

When a person goes through the ceiling, bones can be broken. It damages the structure. At best, it takes time to re-group and start all over. I have experienced all of the above at various times. I have veered off the sturdy beams of life that God graciously provides countless times. I have broken a few spiritual bones, and I have done collateral damage as well. There are times such experiences were well intentioned, like the deacon turned air conditioning repairman. The outcome is still the same. Embarrassment, brokenness, and widespread damage ensue. I am going to think about the deacon’s legs dangling down from the ceiling for the whole church to see before I make choices that are going to lead away from the solid foundation that God provides.