The S. C. Johnson & Son Building in Racine, Wisconsin, has been labeled "the greatest piece of 20th-century architecture in America." Its magnificent half-acre "Great Workroom" has a 3-story skylighted ceiling that produces an ever-shifting interplay of light and shadows.

Despite its placement on the National Register of Historic Buildings, the Johnson Building is far from an ideal workplace. The same glass tubes that produce stunning light effects also serve as unintended mousetraps. The Great Workroom is so cavernous that employees can hear conversations 100 feet away. Water leaks through the expansive flat roof, and condensation drips from the glass tubes.

Could we be building a "house" that looks terrific but is flawed and totally impractical? We're doing just that with our life if we are building it according to our own ideas instead of God's Word. Our skewed sense of morality lays a crooked foundation. Our neglect of our spiritual life allows our house to fall into disrepair. Our self-centeredness leaves gaping holes for the enemy to creep through.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Ps. 127:1). Let Him build the house of your life, and you'll be sure it's built right!  — David C. Egner