covering moments

one day last week during a rain storm

we heard

drip

drip

drip

inside the house

and thus learned we had a leak in our roof

after calling a roofer to inspect things

we were a tad shocked

to discover our roof

our covering

was totally shot

we bought this house in a March

with three feet of snow on the roof

and so the house inspector

was never able to see the shingles

there was a disclosure clause that

required the previous owner to speak of any problems

however, the state of the roof was never mentioned ..........

one of the compelling reasons for us to buy this house

was the sterling reputation of the builder

however

we have since learned

that not all his subcontractors shared such a fine reputation

so, although only 12 years old

we need a completely new roof ..........

the shoddy workmanship is only evident from the back of the house:

when looking up from the front

everything appears in fine order ..........

and I see all sorts of spiritual implications in this expensive lesson

firstly, sometimes things are hidden

and these hidden things affect the spiritual coverage

of anyone abiding in a "house".

secondly, it is important to inspect the covering

from all angles

thirdly, even though the reputation might be sterling

one must take the time to dig

and reveal

and expose

and then watch to see how what is exposed is dealt with

or indeed

if there is a willingness to deal with it at all

there have been times I have not paid enough attention

to the state of the "shingles"

of my covering

as in the natural

all the old shingles must be removed

so in the spiritual

there must be a total removal of the previous covering

a complete coming out from under a defective roof

I am grateful to have been reminded of this

before the storms of winter arrive .........