The Palace

​The boys were excited, we were going to take them to see the small inflatable planetarium that had been setup nearby for the day. I checked the advertisement, “Oh no, they say no kids under 7!” Disappointment turned to, “well, what else can we do?” I remembered a place we had heard about in French class, the “Ideal Palace”. Everyone thought this was a great idea, so we jumped (the younger half of the family, literally) in the car and drove off to a rural village in France.

When we got there, we realized we had seriously underestimated the weather, it was freezing! Nevertheless, we braved both the cold and the moaning and walked the short distance from the carpark to the palace. We stood and stared, trying to take in all the details of this now historic monument. It was made by a postman in the later part of his life, and we reflected on the work and resilience it must have taken to build it.

Day in and day out, he worked on his palace. Carving, smoothing, slowly chipping away at rock. At times, the parts he was working on must have looked misshapen or disfigured. He didn’t stop, carrying on with his daily job, he would collect stones and shells, adding them to his palace when he got home.

He worked for 33 years on something that, maybe no one would ever see. I wonder if he had days in which he wanted to quit, when he questioned what it was all for? I wonder if there were times that he rationalized, “surely I’ve done enough, I can stop here”.

I don’t think he ever pictured that 100 years later, people would still be traveling to see something he had built. He wasn’t an artist; he was a postman. He wasn’t a professional, he didn’t know what he was doing, but for 33 years, he carried on. After 33 years, little by little, keeping on, not giving up, we have the palace.

It made us think about our own lives. The day in, day out work of carving, chipping away and smoothing. Raising kids, trying to do homework, working, cooking and the doing it all over again the next day. Choosing Christ and His way in the face of opposition. Embracing the truth in His word amidst growing pressure to abandon it. Trusting through the good and the bad. Having days in which you feel like you just can’t do this, wondering if anyone will even notice or care if you stop here. It reflects something of the Christian journey. Having Christ formed in us is not always comfortable. Sometimes we prefer to stay as the rock, or start the journey, only to want to quit when it becomes difficult. Sometimes along the way things don’t look ideal, you don’t see the “temple” you are supposed to be, but God is not in a hurry. He keeps working, day by day, carving, chipping away and smoothing out our character, our hearts, our minds.
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In looking at the palace I was reminded of how the little decisions I make every day, make a difference. I don’t always see the outcome in the moment, but over time, constant small movements built something amazing. The palace wasn’t built through a single swing of a mighty hammer, but through daily, unremarkable, often unseen work.