Weekend Worship—Damage Control

No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

We are in the middle of some minor renovations at our house. It didn’t start because I just wanted to update a room. It began because of a small problem. We had a small leak in one of the pipes behind our commode. It was so small it seemed more of an irritation rather than an actual problem.

Wrong.

By the time we got around to dealing with it, the damage was extensive. Fortunately our son works in construction, and he was able to do the work for us. But it meant he had to cut out several large sections of sheet rock and replace it.

Other than the time, as well as the money, there was also the mess and general disruption to our lives.

First, he had to get to the damage and that meant emptying the room. Then he had to cut out the damage, and replace the parts that were ruined. Finally, he had to spend a LOT of time sanding to get the old and new to fit back together. I had no idea sanding could cause so much dust and mess.

As I watched him fix the mess we’d made by ignoring a small leak, I couldn’t help but draw the parallel between that and our spiritual lives.

So often we tend to ignore small sins or habits that creep into our lives. They don’t seem to be bothering anyone or causing any damage, so we just let them go. And by the time we realize the damage, we have a big mess on our hands. A mess that’s too big to handle alone.

Jesus has the authority and the ability to repair our lives...
no matter the mess we've made.

Going to Jesus for help is a lot like going to our son. Jesus loves us and stands ready to help. And just like our son, He has the ability and authority to get us back in shape.

But helping us repair the damage from even a small sin isn’t just a matter of snapping His fingers like some magician. His fixes are much more permanent, and they take some time. He has to rebuild what we’ve destroyed, and make us new again. Truthfully, the process can often feel disruptive and uncomfortable, even when we’re happy about the results.

The repair process also affects those around us, similar to the repairs to our bathroom. Just like the dust from sanding seems to seep into every crack and crevice, so the effects of our sins settle on those closest to us.

This process has made me rethink several things I’ve allowed in my life lately, and I’m deciding to take care of the problem now. How about you, care to join me in a little damage control?