Ouch and Oh Me – Enduring Construction

A couple of days ago, I blogged about us being temples of the Holy Spirit. But we are very much still under construction. In fact, we are perpetual “works in progress”!

And speaking of works in progress, let's talk about the grand basilica, the Sagrada Familia in the heart of Barcelona, Spain. If you thought your home renovations took forever, this architectural marvel has been “coming soon” for over 140 years!

The story behind Sagrada Familia’s lengthy timeline is a mix of tragedy and comedy. The visionary behind this masterpiece, Antoni Gaudí, was called to the great drafting board in the sky quite unexpectedly, leaving his monumental task unfinished.

Add to that design changes, funding woes, and a couple of historical hiccups like the Spanish Civil War and the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve got a recipe for “Maybe Next Century.”

Yet, it stands as a monumental masterpiece of art beyond description. Talk about patience and persistence. It’s a stark reminder that good things (and apparently, massive basilicas) come to those who wait…and wait…and perhaps wait some more.

The construction of Sagrada Familia beautifully parallels our own spiritual journeys. Just as Gaudí's successors picked up where he left off, God is always working on us. He continuously chisels away our rough edges – like our character, attitude and spiritual flaws – and then turns us into His masterpieces.

We might as well get used to it, because He isn’t finished with us yet. I still love that old Bill Gaither kids’ song, “He's still working on me -- To make me what I ought to be -- It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars -- The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars -- How loving and patient He must be -- 'Cause He's still working on me!”

Each one of us stands both as a masterpiece and a work in progress. As God’s handcrafted artworks, we might as well accept His guidance as our Great Sculptor—Who, with love and patience, sculpts us for His grand exhibit.

The beauty of the Sagrada Familia, even unfinished, draws millions who marvel at its grandeur. In our lives, though we are incomplete, others often admire the work God does within us and through us as they see His love and light reflected in our actions.

May we rest in being God’s ongoing construction project. Father knows best. He isn’t finished with us yet. So the next time you feel a spiritual “Ouch! Lord, I thought you had finished that side of me!” just smile and remember -- the Sagrada Familia basilica and you and me who are all our Master’s Work of Art!