Testimonies of Christian Professionalsਨਮੂਨਾ

Dr. Brandy N. Chappell-Hill

GIST

Devotional Title: Builder or Destroyer? Your Choice

A wise man/woman builds their house.

Proverbs 14:1 is my favorite scripture, and I thought I knew what it meant before tragedy changed the course of my life. Independence, upward mobility, and being a powerful woman encapsulated my concepts of success. My idea of a “house” had everything to do with me and the visibility of the business I built. I was in the fast lane for most of my twenties and thirties. Yes, I believed the word of God, and I went to church. Yes, I enjoyed brunches and vacations with girlfriends. Yes, I had a catalog of suitors that I enjoyed at my leisure and on my own time. What I didn’t have was an acknowledgment of God that biblically centered me.

I had lost my way, even though I grew up in church. I knew how to "do" church. The community and social aspect of the church is what I focused on. Actually, those are not bad things to place value on, but I was building a house for myself, and God was not invited in. He was not even the architect, nor was he the contractor. My house was built on my academic accomplishments, business notoriety, family status, and professional credentials. But all of my attributes, characteristics, giftings, and tendencies led to nowhere because I never asked God what I was building, why, and for whom. I never sat down and asked God to build my house.

I had to rededicate my life and truly learn how to depend on God. It was a tragic death that brought me to submission. My heart was broken when my sister died. I felt my heart stop as soon as hers stopped, and after we buried her, I asked myself some questions about my life. The edifice I built of myself came crashing down when I watched her take her last breath. It was life-changing, tragic, and redemptive. I shut down my business, interacted with the wrong people, made some very bad decisions, and I came apart on the inside. I spent so much time creating this “house,” and then I watched it crumble. Psalms 127:1 says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it….”

So, I asked the Lord to put me back together again. I humbled myself before God and received from him the wisdom described in Proverbs 14:1. The transformation of perspective was based on the leadership and direction that comes from Christ Jesus. Today, everything I have and everything I am is because He built it. Today, I am a builder and a destroyer. I destroyed everything in my life that separated me from the Will of God. I learned how to rebuild stronger by restoring my faith in Him and by trusting in His path for me.