Plumb Both Ways

Greetings Dear Readers,

Once, when much younger, I worked on a construction crew for a summer. Summer construction in south is no fun. You are always hot, dirty, thirsty, and gritty. I was a hose we were just beginning to fit with doors, windows, and the like. I was doing the important job of getting the little stickers off of the windows with a razor blade. Around the corner from me two men were hanging a door.

Immersed in the thoughts of the intricacies of label scraping, I was startled from my heat and boredom induced reverie. One of the carpenters, the old one was swearing a blue streak. He was saying something about the plumb bob marring the door frame when he dropped it. I peaked around the corner to watch. He carefully buffed out the small scratch.

The younger man watched too. “I don’t know why you bother with that. The people will never be able to tell the difference.” He offered.

The older man stood up strait and tall. “I would know and every time a door did not swing true, they would curse me. I would not hear it, but I would know that they had a door that did not swing true. I have spent most of the last forty years hanging doors. When I lay down at night, one of the sins I do not have to count is that I did not hang a door plumb both ways. I hang it true up and down for God and I hang it true side to side for the people who will use it.

I wonder how often I forget to make things plumb both ways. I very often focus on being plumb with God but fail miserably to be plumb with others. It is not by intent or malice. It is just that I do not always take the time to be right with those around me. How often do I fail to see that giving my very best to those around me keeps me plumb with God? I cannot swing randomly side to side and keep a true vertical line.

This may be why so many times in the epistles we are admonished to kindness and gentleness in a spirit of love. Anything less causes a sway that is not plumb with God.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn