STORYTIME TAPESTRY

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

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Special Treat ??“ Leona Ebling

Jan 19, 2006

Broken Walls

Leona Ebling

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There are times when we have to be involved with problems I call "Broken Walls."

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EXAMPLE:

A bad storm once came through our area.?  Just up the road about a 1/2 mile from our home, it took part of an old barn down yet left most of it standing.?  Several years that part stood through all kinds of weather.....rain, snow, hail, sleet, ice, winds, and heat.

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During that time, a friend of mine said her mother who is an artist wanted to paint a picture of it.?  Too late, one day it just fell down and was nothing more then a pile of old rubbish and boards.

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? Through the elements of nature, it finally wore it down simply because no there was no repair given to it.?  The picture that would have been a lovely scene of the old barn and pasture she could not paint exactly as it once was.

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Example:

I had a stool that sat beside my island in the kitchen.?  It began to get wobbly.?  We moved it closer to the wall area and supported it between the island and the wall.

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All the while, it rubbed against the sheetrock wall.?  As the stool became less sturdy with people setting on it daily, it also put more pressure on the wall as it leaned more and more against it. As I moved it to scrub and wax, I would notice the wearing down place on the wall.?  I liked my stool, so did my husband and sons, and we left it set there.

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No repair!? 

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It began to get worse and one day when I moved it, I noticed a place completely worn through the sheetrock.?  Now I needed to repair both the stool and the wall.?  I was aware of what was happening all along but never took the time or effort to make the necessary repairs before it got into such a terribly bad condition.

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One more Example:

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I had a very good and dear friend who faithfully over the years had been supportive, and encouraging to me in my daily life and my work in the faith and church we both attend.?  We had shared many hard knocks and many good times also.? 

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While we were involved in a work for the Lord, probably the closest work we had ever labored at together a situation arose that neither of us had any control over.

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I could see signs of trouble coming and I am certain she could also but I felt one of the people in the situation had in good faith assured me that the situation could and would not happen.

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My friend and I had a very good relationship and could communicate easily about almost anything, yet I did not heed to my feelings that I needed to discuss this matter with her.?  Due to this, the situation rode along with us and began to wear and tear down her trust in me.?  Then the wearing down progressed into an eruption and the walls of our friendship fell.?  The communication between us damaged so badly that only God can ever repair this wall.

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I had foreseen the wearing down process as it came and was prolonged, as I failed to try to repair the damage it was doing or let God repair it. Then it became so serious as to destroy the friendship and caused terrible hurts and many tears as well as wasted precious months before repair was made with the help and mercy of our Lord.

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Repair those broken walls.?  If forewarned, begin to repair!?  Do what ever you can to prevent serious damage or trouble or even complete destruction before it becomes too late.

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How you may ask can I repair the situation, or condition?? 

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First of all, remember that in the Word of God Holy Bible KJV

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? James 2:17 tells us, Even so faith if it has not works is dead, being alone.? 

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Also James 1:22; But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

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You see if I had began to talk to my friend and to pray with her about the situation the breaking down could have possibly been completely prevented.?  Without the repair of communication and prayer, it took a complete restoration job to rebuild the trust and the friendship.

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So many times, we fail to repair or support a broken place and then it always wears or breaks down after a time.

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If the old barn had been repaired or supported during those years as it was subjected to all the different kinds of elements of nature it could have possibly stood for many more years.

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If the artist had taken the opportunity when she first thought about doing a painting of that old barn, a lovely picture could have been a wonderful gift for a loved one or friend.?  Or, maybe she would framed and hung in her own home to enjoy.? 

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If I had asked for or had repair given to the weak stool before it became so wobbly there would have been no need to have repair on a wall as well.

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Another case of broken walls is when several problems all happen at once and begin to wear us down in the faith.?  WHAT!?  Broken faith walls??  Yes!?  That can also happen.

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A group that is non-supporting to work with...a critical and cutting tongue, wearing us down.?  A workload that drains us both physically and mentally then our spiritual life begins to suffer.

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Then we in turn become critical, demanding, harsh, judgmental, while we struggle with all the complications of our situation.?  Then "BOOM,??? all at once we are devastated by the earthquake we receive from still another situation.

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Usually realizing too late that all the wear and tear on our spiritual, mental, and physical walls, which were so weak when the "tremor" or "shake" from that last source hit us we just literally "fell down." Yet some how we do not go all the way down or stay down usually.?  Someone begins to support us the best they can and then a few more pitch but they are only patching us up, making minor repairs trying to keep us usable and going on.

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Our old house is badly in need of a complete overhaul by then or remodeling I should say.?  Then we have to make sure that prayer is the main source of building and supporting.?  Prayer is the nails that hold us in place.?  All the decorative fixtures, all the plumbing, and all the insulation is fine, but the nails must be installed in many places to make it strong and reliable.

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We gain our strength from this source.?  Prayer is a necessity, and HE will never fail us.

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane told his disciples, "Watch and pray" but they failed in both instructions.?  Jesus came back two times and found then sleeping.?  He told them, "The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak."

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? As I write this on repairing those Broken Walls, I believe that prayer is the greatest tool or source we have to use. Yet many times we fail in this area.?  Jesus also told the disciples to "go into the upper room and tarry until you be endued with power from on high."?  KJV Holy Bible, quote:

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? Acts. 2: 1 reads, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one?  accord in one place." What accord??  Acts 1:4 tells us, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication."

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Praying is the answer from the start, the power of the church and this prayer still brings this power into our lives today.?  Prayer is the answer in any situation or condition we face, to either guide us or help us in doing and making the right decision.

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So repair any damage we have daily with prayer, seeking God's help and guidance.?  Let him be the source and prayer the tool as a constant source of repair and rebuilding or restoring.

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? In Isaiah 55:3, we find this advice.

"Incline your ear, come unto me, hear and your soul shall live."

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Watch and pray Jesus instructed the disciples.?  Watching you will see any broken walls and praying you will know how to find the knowledge or miracle to repair them.

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Written by Leonia Ebling

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wwjdleona@aol.com

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For more of Leonia??™s personal testimonies and short stories plus poetry her book ???Dancing with Life??? is for sale online at Barnes & Nobel, Amazon, Border Books, and AuthorHouse.com? ?  It also features blank pages for you to use to record your own memories, testimonies, etc. as you are reading.?  This makes it a wonderful gift to share with loved ones or friends.