We had planned a quiet and romantic getaway -
Leave the kids with grandma, be alone for just a day;
But as we arrived for check-in at our local hotel,
And looked around the lobby, how our eager faces fell.
The sound of pounding hammers echoed through unpainted walls,
Scaffolding and dropcloth littered up unfinished halls;
The restaurant was closed, room service "limited," it said,
And a little cardboard sign next to the front desk read:
"Please excuse our mess, we're under construction;
We know it's awful inconvenient, but it's true.
The builders are working hard each day To make things better in every way,
And when all of this remodeling is through, We'll be even better set for serving you."
Lately I've been thinking back a lot to that hotel,
Because, you see, for a while, I've not been doing very well.
Everything seems unfamiliar, everything seems strange,
Everything inside me seems to be getting re-arranged.
Old walls I prized, and thought I needed, now have been knocked down;
New sections have been added - my whole floor plan has been turned around!
And through the dust and disarray, the thought has crossed my mind,
That maybe I should start to wear a little cardboard sign, saying:
"Please excuse my mess, I'm under construction;
I know it's awful inconvenient, but it's true.
The Builder is working hard each day to make things better in every way
And when all of this remodeling is through, I'll be even better set for serving you."
There's a certain Carpenter - a master in His skill;
Day by day He does His work, you see.
I'd be perfectly content to stay a little cottage forever –
But He's got plans to make A shining palace of me -
That He can live in... That He can live in...
So please excuse my mess, I'm under construction.
It's not really of my choosing, but it's true.
The Builder is working hard each day to make things better in every way,
And when all of this remodeling is through,
I'll be even better set for serving Him -and you,
When this phase of reconstruction work
Is through.
© 2003, Morning Light Publishing