Pre-work

August 22, 2018

Sometimes before you can begin the work you have before you, you have to do the pre-work that prepares the way and makes possible the real work. In case that sentence is confusing, here’s what I mean. Our son and daughter in law need to remodel their downstairs bathroom. The floor is spongy and the decor is shopworn; a total overhaul is necessary. But before we could begin ripping things apart, we needed to install a shower in the upstairs bathroom so they could maintain some semblance of cleanliness during the project. Since we had to run new plumbing upstairs and the old plumbing was a patchwork of hodgepodge mismatched tubing, we decided that rather than try to cobble into such a crazy system, it would be better to replace the whole thing right from the meter. Of course, being the experienced plumbers that we are, this entailed numerous trips to Home Depot for fittings, and will result in one last trip to return all the stuff we thought we needed, but didn’t. 

Today, it’s done! The shower is officially installed and working, and there don’t seem to be leaks anywhere in the system. These first-time plumbers rock! But the entire last two week’s work is all preliminary. Only now are we able to really begin the work we set out to do.

A lot of life is like that. Before the real work can begin, we must do the pre-work. Before preaching, study and prayer are necessary. Before performing, the musician invests untold hours practicing. Before teaching, there is much lesson preparation. Before presenting in court, the lawyer spends hours preparing the case. The work everyone sees is the culmination of a lot more work that remains in the background, unseen by most. But without it, that which is seen is revealed as shoddy and substandard, unworthy of honor or acclaim. Tonight, I am thankful for the behind the scenes effort revealed in quality products, whether buildings, education, music, mechanics, or preaching. Our lives are enriched by people who are willing to do the unsung work behind the scenes, making what is seen a work of art.