If walls could talk

Recently, we had the opportunity to tour the hallowed halls of the Iowa State Capitol Building. The gold-plated dome is a bright spark set upon the high ground along the Des Moines River. From its height, you behold the city skyline in all its Midwest modesty.

We often show it off to our international visitors, after all, they usually have spotted the iconic five-dome building as they fly in, but this was the first time I’d been inside.

Like all the very best Iowans, its inner beauty far surpassed its attractive exterior. From the basement mess halls to the whispering room near the inner dome, every light, pylon, floor tile, and wall space was crafted on purpose. Each brush stroke, each piece of crushed Venetian glass, and each statue, is rich in history, symbolism, and profound meaning. The building is designed as a reflection of the values and virtues of Iowa. It was a lot of fun to explore!

When you walk within any capitol building- in Washington DC, in Canberra, and in Des Moines, you learn about the city or state or nation they represent.

And when we returned to our home in the evening, I noticed - on a much smaller scale - our walls do the same.

From the dining room to the bathroom, every hanging picture, framed photo, or clock is there on purpose. Our walls tell a story of who we are and what we value.

Do you want to know who I am? Let me show you my home. Let me show you its walls. On them, you will find the people I love - the family I come from, the family we have now. On them, you will discover what means the most to me - Bible verses I mediate on, song lyrics by my husband, paintings by my Grandma. On them, you will see the places we have been - maps dotted with pins, and posters from museums and galleries around the world.

My walls, and I hope yours too, bring so much joy. We give walls a bit of a bad rap most of the time - we talk about walls to keep people out or walls that keep people in. But, a wall that reflects our lives is a beautiful thing.

And yet, even the strongest wall is temporary. The prettiest wall, the most decorated wall, the wall filled with accomplishments - all will eventually come down.

Last night, my husband sat next to me in tears, watching a scene from the current war in Israel; parents throwing themselves over their children as shells fell around them. These are people whose physical walls have crumbled. The memories stored on their walls are demolished, the structure designed to keep them safe, annihilated. Their own flesh and blood become the walls now - the only protection for their children.

Walls of stone and mortar - or of flesh and bones - all will eventually crumble. And so I wonder, if the walls will go, what remains?

And in my searching I hear a whisper… the foundation.

The foundation, without its pretty paint, without the artwork or photographs or history or accomplishments.

More than what brings us joy, more than what we love, more than even who we think we are, is the cornerstone we are building on - the foundation we stand upon. When the storms rage, or the earth quakes, or the bombs fall, and the walls come crumbling down - the question won’t be how did we decorate our walls, but rather, what were we building on? What are we standing on?

Does he have a name?

When you ask my walls who I am, I hope they talk of Him.

Isaiah 28:16

So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic”

Acts 4:11-12

Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

2 Timothy 2:19a

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His”.