"Your Stucco Problem" by Matthew Linehan
My wife and I recently discovered that we had stucco issues on the exterior of our house. When they were building our house, the builder was more worried about quantity than quality. When they were putting the roof on, they didn’t put a $2.00 piece of metal flashing on the piece that attaches to the gutter to divert the water off the roof and back into the gutter. The result was that when the rain hit the roof and started to run off, it ran down behind the stucco between the wood siding on the house. Over time the water continued to run down and began to rot the wood underneath the stucco. The result was the stucco started to peel, crack and discolor. The discoloring was the result of the rotting wood showing through.
The outcome of all this has become very costly. In order to fix what is on the outside we first have to fix what is on the inside. The stucco has to be removed from the outside. When we removed the stucco, we discovered that the wood was indeed rotting. In order to fix this, we first had to remove the rotted wood. We then have to put new wood on the frame of the house and then put new stucco on the wood. Then after all of that, we have to paint the new stucco and then the house will look new again.
I wonder sometimes how we as people can be like a house with stucco. From the outside we may seem fine, solid, sturdy and healthy while on the inside we are rotting away. We tend to put on a pretty face or a façade when someone asks us, “How you doing?” and we say, “Oh…I’m F I N E …” while all the while we are rotting away inside. We are hurting and want to cry out “I’m NOT FINE!!! I’M DYING!!!”
The world teaches us not to show weakness. To be strong and not let anyone know how we are really doing inside.
I know from personal experience sometimes when we are rotting away inside, we turn to things to try to mask the hurt and pain like drugs and alcohol. Some use food, sex, porn, gambling…the list goes on and on.
The contractor told us that if we would have not gotten this issue with our house fixed and let it go on for a few more years we would have been looking at some serious repairs. They may have had to jack our house up and to replace structural beams and support devices. Even though we are looking at some costly repairs it could have been a lot worse if it had not been addressed.
I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to go on rotting away inside for one more day. That there is someone who can take that rotting wood and replace it with brand new wood. That you can be made brand new again today if you just accept Jesus Christ today.
Today you can begin to heal.
Today you can begin to heal from all those hurts and pains that you have been suffering from your whole life. When I turned towards Jesus Christ and let Him in…the bleeding stopped. The rotting stopped and today Jesus has removed all that rotted word and has replaced it with a fine oak.
Thank you, Jesus Christ, for healing me from the inside out. Thank you that I am made new in the image of Christ. Thank you that I don’t have to turn to drugs and alcohol anymore to try to mask the pain. Today I am made new. In Jesus’ Name!!! Amen!!!
