The Plumb Line

Growing Daily

The Plumb Line

I recently read that Mexico City is sinking at a rate of a half inch per month. The city is built on the soft soil of an ancient lakebed, with much of the city’s drinking water pumped from directly underneath. That—and the weight of urban sprawl—is causing the soil to compact alarmingly.

Residents adapt to life on sinking ground. They prop furniture on blocks so tabletops remain flat. They pour concrete into gaps emerging below their homes to stave off collapse. They even get used to inner ear pain that comes from living in buildings that lean away from vertical.

When my life feels off balance, I often try to adapt.  But God calls us to address underlying problems rather than live off-kilter, compromised lives. When the people in Haggai’s day stopped rebuilding the temple, He warned them to re-examine their priorities and get back to work (Haggai 1:3-11). When the church at Ephesus strayed from its first love, God called them to repent and return (Revelation 2:4-5).

It’s sobering to remember that God measures with a “plumb line of righteousness” (Isaiah 28:17), but fortunately, He doesn’t leave me to guess where I’ve fallen out of plumb. His Word reveals where thoughts, priorities, and affections have drifted (Psalm 119). And unlike homeowners struggling with stop-gap measures, I have a Master Builder continually refining and restoring me—until I reach the city with eternal foundations, designed and built by God (Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 11:10).


- Catherine Reid