As I sit here typing this, I hear movement on the roof of my house. The workers are replacing a section of old shingles. A few weeks ago, our area had a nine inch rainfall overnight. It left us with a leaky roof, while some neighbors had water up to their front porches. On the next street over, one house has been evacuated ever since due to damage from flooding. In comparison, the leak that sprung in our bedroom seems minimal when I think of those who’ve had to relocate. But still, it is a nuisance to be woken at five thirty in the morning with water dripping on your face weeks after the big rain storm.
But today is the day the roof gets replaced. And I’m so thankful. It’s been a slow five weeks, and with each rainfall more water dripped into the bedroom. An upcoming house project will repair that damage soon. Plus, we have some minor plumbing repairs to complete in each bathroom.
I’ve learned that the work of being a homeowner is ever ongoing. As the house ages, so does everything in it. Appliances, furnace, air conditioner, plumbing, roof, windows. You name it. The list is never ending. And that doesn’t include weather related issues that can pop up at a moment’s notice. The work of being a homeowner is never done.
I’d rather put my money to good use on fun projects, but that isn’t in the cards yet. Essentials must come first. There will be time for more landscaping and backyard updates, but today isn’t the day.
In the two short years we’ve lived here, we’ve had two other roof leaks and three plumbing leaks. Last year, we replaced the air conditioner. Now we’re waiting for the very old furnace to pump out it’s last breath of warm air. Hopefully, that won’t happen this winter. It’s survived the past two winters, so let’s hope for a few more. I’m assuming its end of life will be in the middle of an extremely cold snap.
I enjoy owning a home, but honestly, I don’t enjoy the work that goes with it. But that’s part of the deal when buying a house. Unfortunately for us, previous owners didn’t routinely handle minor repairs, and now it all falls on us. Slowly but surely, one repair and one replacement at a time, we’ll have this house in tiptop shape.
I think of our house and how many service calls we’ve made in only two years. Just imagine what else happens to a house if regular maintenance isn’t done. Corrosion and damage will start in hidden areas not seen on a daily basis. By the time it’s obvious something is wrong, there’s either an odor or noise or stain that shows that something is going wrong behind the scene.
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2
I sometimes see photos of abandoned houses on social media, and I wonder what happened that would cause someone to just walk away from their home leaving everything inside. And I can imagine all the issues that abandonment would cause for any new owner of that home. It made me think about my relationship with Christ. I can just imagine all the pain and trouble I could cause if I didn’t maintain a growing relationship with God. What trouble would I stir up if I ignored or walked away from my faith?
Imagining for a minute what that could look like makes me realize that it would be easy to lean toward a life centered around myself. I would start to focus on my feelings more than I would focus on God. Life would be built on only what pleased me. My relationships, my work, my finances, my leisure time, my hobbies. Me. Me. Me. And the list can go on endlessly. I could get caught up in activities that would be harmful to my health and finances. I could spend my money frivolously on whatever I wanted. I could treat others with the worst of contempt and turn my back on them. I could start hobbies that were meaningless and selfish. I could applaud those who openly pursue evil. And I might join them. Who knows.
When a faith goes stale, some may think it’s by accident. And it’s most likely not planned. But it is an intentional shift in priorities. It’s an RSVP to an invitation that opens the door to unthinkable possibilities. And not in a good way. It’s a drawing away from God, when his plan is to draw his people closer to him. Nothing good can come from this shift, because it will lead to a path of spiritual destruction if left untended.
But a life centered around the will of God is one that isn’t centered on me. The focus shifts. And God does an awesome job of pruning the parts of me that are fruitful and he takes care of the branches that don’t bear fruit. And what does that look like? What does God’s pruning actually clean up in me, and what does he lift off the ground? The Greek interpretation of pruning is to “lift up”, so the dead wood isn’t necessarily removed but it’s lifted off the ground so it can get sunlight and produce fruit. If God is lifting the unproductive parts of me off the ground, then he believes that part of me can become productive. When I’ve left for dead a gift or talent that God can use, he sees that new life can spring up just by giving it the support it needs to thrive.
The productive parts of my faith will be pruned so they can flourish even more. If vines aren’t pruned regularly, they’ll continue to grow but they’ll become unproductive. They’ll stop bearing fruit. Dead wood can carry disease and decay, so it must be removed. So, just when I think my faith is expanding and exploding, I have to step back and look for the areas that are dead wood. And then allow God do some trimming. A diseased and decaying faith becomes obvious over time, even when we think no one is noticing. Bible reading, prayer and fellowship with other believers is essential to a healthy, growing faith. Discipline, perseverance, trust and obedience come into play when difficulties land.
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17
Faith in God will save us, but then it must move to an active, breathing faith that grows to maturity. A dead or dying faith is one that has moved from complete trust in God to a wavering that can cause doubt to grow larger than the faith. Doubt is fine as long as it doesn’t overpower faith. There has to be evidence of new life after conversion, otherwise we must ask if conversion really happened. God’s grace not only saves us, but it changes us. It will be obvious.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
