FIXER UPPER
Written By: Blake Hudspeth
I’m no Chip Gaines. But when a jagged crack forms down my living room wall, I know it’s a bad sign. I also know there are basically two paths to address the issue. One is quick and easy. Take a putty knife, fill in the gap with fast-drying spackle, then dab it with paint. You can get it done while dinner’s cooking. However, if the crack is bad enough, it’s bound to reappear.
The second option is far more invasive, expensive, and time-consuming. Repair the foundation. Rip up the floorboards and get a look at why your walls are falling apart in the first place. It’s inconvenient to be sure, but it will save your home from collapse.
Before Nehemiah repaired the walls of Jerusalem, he picked through each pile of rubble and charred remnant of gate. Nothing escaped the inspection. He knew that foreign armies had not caused the wall’s collapse. The problem was deeper. His inspection involved pulling up the floorboards and exposing the heart of Israel.
They had rejected the love of their God. The Lord had promised Israel that, if she disobeyed the Law of Moses, there would be war in the land and her tribes would be scattered. But if she repented and turned back to Him, they would be gathered again and the land would have peace (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 4). Before Nehemiah spent an hour making plans for repairing the walls, he spent four months reorienting his heart with God’s heart (Nehemiah 1-2). It was invasive and time-consuming. But it was necessary to keep the cracks in the walls from returning.
Too often, I want to spackle over a problem area in my life with a quick fix. It is easier to convince myself that heart issues are due to my busy schedule or an anxious season of life. I attempt to paint over it with time-management strategies or simply wait for the season to change. But in time, the problem reappears because the foundation needs repair.
Are we willing to take time to inspect the walls of our lives? Even if it’s inconvenient and costly? If jagged cracks keep reappearing, it’s time. As Nehemiah would tell you, the solution may not be quick, but it will last.
The second option is far more invasive, expensive, and time-consuming. Repair the foundation. Rip up the floorboards and get a look at why your walls are falling apart in the first place. It’s inconvenient to be sure, but it will save your home from collapse.
Before Nehemiah repaired the walls of Jerusalem, he picked through each pile of rubble and charred remnant of gate. Nothing escaped the inspection. He knew that foreign armies had not caused the wall’s collapse. The problem was deeper. His inspection involved pulling up the floorboards and exposing the heart of Israel.
They had rejected the love of their God. The Lord had promised Israel that, if she disobeyed the Law of Moses, there would be war in the land and her tribes would be scattered. But if she repented and turned back to Him, they would be gathered again and the land would have peace (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 4). Before Nehemiah spent an hour making plans for repairing the walls, he spent four months reorienting his heart with God’s heart (Nehemiah 1-2). It was invasive and time-consuming. But it was necessary to keep the cracks in the walls from returning.
Too often, I want to spackle over a problem area in my life with a quick fix. It is easier to convince myself that heart issues are due to my busy schedule or an anxious season of life. I attempt to paint over it with time-management strategies or simply wait for the season to change. But in time, the problem reappears because the foundation needs repair.
Are we willing to take time to inspect the walls of our lives? Even if it’s inconvenient and costly? If jagged cracks keep reappearing, it’s time. As Nehemiah would tell you, the solution may not be quick, but it will last.
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2 Comments
Needed to read this today. Great word and great visual. Every time I go to DIY something I'll probably remember this.
Good word! Thanks for this!