When “More or Less” Won’t Do

 

    This week a transformation of our home is taking place with the installation of eleven new windows.  My husband, Al, has wanted to replace the old drafty ones for a long time. But, I resisted due to the expense involved and the daunting prospect of remodeling…again.

The windows in our home were installed about a dozen years ago, when the house was bought for the purpose of fixing it up and putting it right back on the market. They seemed like perfectly good windows; however, there was one major flaw. Even when locked tight for the winter, the frigid air blew right through them. 

Our bills for heating were high, with the wind chill during the long winter months often dropping below freezing. When I shared this problem with a neighbor, she said that hers were drafty too, and suggested stuffing paper towels into the crevices of the double hung windows! I followed her advice for years even though paper towels, along with insulating tape around the edges, didn’t make much of a difference.

I’m not sure what finally changed my mind, but when I showed a willingness to at least get an estimate, Al contacted the contractor who has helped us with remodeling in the past. Within a few days, the windows were measured and an estimate of the cost was given. It wasn’t long before our contractor friend had ordered them.

After waiting most of the summer, we were excited when a large truck pulled up and two young men carried the new ones, along with screens, into the garage. A couple of problems surfaced before the project even started. When counted, two windows were missing, unfortunately, requiring submitting a new order from the company for two more.

A bigger problem was revealed after the first window was removed. The original windows, dating back to the 1950’s, had been larger than those installed when the house was remodeled.  Perhaps to save time and money, smaller windows had been inserted into the old frames, leaving space between the walls and windows. No insulation material had been used around the them, or in the walls for that matter, which explained why they were so drafty.

When the cover-up was discovered, the new windows had already been ordered and were stored in our garage, several thousand dollars’ worth of glass, wood and screen. Unfortunately, they had been ordered to match the size of the smaller windows, not to the original design of the house.   

With that discovery, the project expanded, requiring much more time and labor to construct the right sized frames that would fit the new windows. Measurements were taken many times, with great care. Although the installation is not finished, we are happy with the progress being made.

Exact measuring is certainly required for all construction work, as well as in many other areas, like sewing! On one sewing project as a teenager, I discovered, much to my dismay, that I had only purchased enough material to make three-fourths of a dress! Since miniskirts were not in fashion at the time, Mom came to the rescue with enough white material to make a pleated skirt to attach to the bottom.

 My measuring skills have always been haphazard. I wouldn’t trust myself with measuring the dimensions of shades needed for the new windows, much less measuring the size of windows needed. “More or less” just won’t do!

More or less won’t work with God either. His standard of measure is such that no human being could possibly live up to it.  How could we, with a nature prone to sin and rebellion, stand before a Holy God?

            Jesus, righteous and holy, paid the penalty for our sins through His death on the cross. It is only through faith in Him that we can have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. What God desires of us is to entrust our lives completely to Him, knowing that He loves us.

 Can we do this? Will we? 

  “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)