Trust the Architect

I am presently reading The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, a favorite author of mine. In this book, he talks about the immense complexity of certain tasks, our error rate as humans, and the benefit of using checklists, or a written set of rules to follow.

Gawande writes of contemplating the construction of a high-rise medical complex. "The building, he said, would be 350,000 square feet in size, with three stories underground in addition to the eleven stories above. It would cost $360 million, fully delivered, and require 3,885 tons of steel, thirteen thousand yards of concrete, nineteen air handling units, sixteen elevators, one cooling tower, and one back up emergency generator. The construction workers would have to dig out 100,000 cubic yards of dirt and install 64,000 feet of copper piping, forty seven miles of conduit, and ninety-five miles of electrical wire--enough to reach Maine." (p. 52). On the following page, he posed the question, "So, as I looked up at this whole building that had to stand up straight even in an earthquake, puzzling over how the workers could be sure they were constructing it properly, I realized the question had two components. First, how could they be sure that they had the right knowledge in hand? Second, how could they be sure they were applying the knowledge correctly?" (p. 53).

My immediate thought was, "they would need to trust the architect." The architect would be responsible for having the most complete knowledge of the building site, the building itself, and how it would be constructed. Further, the architect would prepare a set of written documents (i.e., blueprints) that would need to be followed to ensure that the building stood. The workers would need to assume that a) there was an architect and b) that he was trustworthy. Indeed, the workers may have just a vague notion of the final design. If they proceeded without design, the results would be disastrous.

In answer to the second question, the workers could be sure they were applying the knowledge correctly by a) knowing their roles, and b) trying to understand the blueprints and be faithful to them. If an electrician elects to do the work of a plumber, the knowledge may be incorrectly applied. Rather, the electrician should employ his gifts to the project as he has studied and trained for them. Neither the electrician nor the plumber, however, should lose sight of the fact that they are essential parts of the building--it won't get built without them.

Naturally, this is a great metaphor for the Christian life. There is an Architect, he has given us a written plan, we each have roles, and yet, we each are part of the building process.

Job 38:4-7 reads, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" God is our divine architect who laid the foundation of the earth. He understands the whole design, even when we do not.

God also provided us with a set of trustworthy blueprints, the Bible. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Just as a blueprint does not encompass the whole knowledge of an architect, so God's word to us does not capture all of His knowledge; rather, it provides us what we need to know for the work at hand.

We each have our roles. Paul told the Corinthian church, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body." (I Corinthians 12: 12-19). God gifts each one of us (you can read more in Romans 12) and I think we need to work to discern our gifts and build upon them. In the same way that the best person to lay bricks is a mason, the most effective teacher has a gift of teaching. We each need to learn our role in the body.

Finally, we are all focused on a common purpose--building. We have been given trustworthy blueprints by the Architect and we each have our roles. Though we may not know what the finished product will look like, the Architect does; the only thing each of us needs to focus on is completing the task he or she was given.