Lego building blocks

"Lego Man"

Lego Man is definitely getting around. In early January of 2012, with the help of two 17-year-old Canadian young men, he was shot into Earth's upper atmosphere on a rocket. He ascended to 80,000 feet - an altitude few people have ever seen - before gently returning to solid ground by means of a parachute. The trip was filmed with a camera attached to Lego Man, and you can watch his journey on YouTube.

In case you're wondering, Lego Man is not an actual person, but a figure made popular by the famous Lego building sets. Lego, I've learned, was first introduced in 1958 by a fellow in Denmark. The name comes from the Danish words for "play well". In the last 56 years, Lego building blocks have become a cultural phenomenon. In fact there are six different Legolands in the world, including two in the U.S. (Florida and California).

One distinguishing feature of Lego Man is that he can be put together - or taken apart - to suit one's needs at the moment. Thankfully there are no sound effects that go along with disassembling his parts (which are few).

Building things has always been a pursuit of mankind. In the Bible Jesus spoke about a wise man who built his house on a solid foundation (Matthew 7:24). The word for "build" is the Greek oikodomeo, a word often found in Greek literature for building houses or other structures.

Interestingly this word is also used for people. Romans 15:2 states, "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification." "Edification" is translated from oikodomeo, the word otherwise translated "build up". We get the idea. We can do things that will make others stronger, or "build them up". That should be our aim.

Paul's admonition suggests that there are other choices we can make. Ephesians 4:29 gives that view: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth ..." "Corrupt" is from a word that describes something that is rotting or deteriorating. It is not as strong as it once was, and is headed toward its end. Our words, Paul teaches, can have that effect on others. It's as if we were tearing them down, piece by piece.

The verse goes on. In the place of corrupting words that might come out of our mouths, we should choose "... what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). Tear down? Build up? We have the power to do either through the words we speak. We should always seek to build up.

Lego Man reminds us that people can be taken apart, too. That's not the choice we should make, God teaches. Seek to build up. Help Lego Man be strong.
CTimothy D. Hall