When Solomon built the temple in 1 Kings 6, he paid attention to some intricate details. If I’m honest, I often blow past them. After all, what does the width of doors, or the kinds of wood and stone used for the interior of the temple, have to do with me today? I believe the point is that God is worthy of our best. Solomon understood this and wanted to pour his heart into every detail. 

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

-1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

My daughters often give me drawings they’ve made of our family. At first glance, the pictures appear simple—eight people standing in a row with their names helpfully written above them. But upon careful investigation, the intricate details, and no doubt, the time invested in each drawing, become apparent.

In a recent picture, I’m conveyed with prickly facial hair, round framed glasses with what I believe is a smudge or two at the top of the lenses, and my signature Alpha zip-up hoodie. Why go through the trouble of getting these details right? Why not simply draw some stick figures and call things good? My guess is that my daughters want to please their father and, though they may not articulate it this way, show him they care, see, and love representing our family and its values.

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