Faithful Upkeep

...anything you love is always worth your time and attention.

I know I’ve written about my 110-year-old craftsman house before, but it’s worth yet another mention if only because it needs attention.

Our house has been a good place to raise kids and a great location for the occasional film crew. It’s also been a great place to start a church.

But as I stare up at the paint chipping off the shingles, I sometimes wonder—why do I still live here?

The floors creak, the plumbing is possessed, and every repair I make leads to five more.

I’ll admit, I’m not as handy as I wish I were. I can paint, jiggle a stubborn doorknob back into place, and even replace a light fixture properly if I watch enough YouTube tutorials.

I consider good fortune if my patch job makes it through the season. Of course, like my wife reminds me, anything you love is worth the time and attention.

​But there are some things I simply can’t fix myself. When it comes to the repairs and renovations of the heart, that’s God’s work.

​When my spirit sags like an old roofline, when my patience flakes like peeling paint, when the earthquakes of life add more cracks in my faith—God is there to patch me up with grace, believing I’m worth the effort.
 
No wonder Jesus spent most of his life as a carpenter. He prepping for ministry. Jesus knows the sacred work of mending the broken and neglected. He sees, in every weathered piece of wood and every weary soul, something still worth saving.
 
So whether your life feels like a fixer-upper or a well-loved home with more creaks than you’d like to admit, take heart: Jesus is in the business of restoration. Together with the Holy  Spirit, Jesus never tires of putting in the effort to make us whole again.

In his holy hands nothing is too broken and everything is made new again. And best of all, his work comes with a warranty that never expires.