Cleaning Up My Disrepair

Sometimes it’s hard to get over “the hump” of disrepair in life. When the rangers told us we were going to open the overflow camping sites for the weekend all we could think of was the disrepair. After all, due to Covid these 11 sites had set neglected for over a year, overgrown with weeds, lovely “animal chews” all over on fences and picnic tables, bats in the vault toilets, and yes just about anything else that happens to something that is neglected. Al was thankful that we had almost 3 weeks to get it ready to use for weekend overflow campers. Maintenance was grateful that he took charge of a lot of the sites that needed the expertise of a landscaper. In the end, all was beautiful and needless to say those needing a weekend campsite were “happy campers!”

The before and after pictures were astounding. Our USACE commandant was so grateful for Al’s help. What was disrepair was now repaired and useful again. And that gets me to thinking of my spiritual life. Do I have places of disrepair, where I’ve neglected my soul, my heart, my mind, etc? This verse from Job 23:10, using The Voice, is one I want to use as my “repaired spiritual disrepair areas” but alas, I’ve got some work to do, how about you?

But He knows the course I have traveled.
And I believe that were He to prove me,
I would come out purer than gold from the fire.

There is an old story of a man, I’ll call him Ed, whose enjoyment was sitting on his back porch, reading, sipping his coffee or later his beer, and totally indifferent to the poor condition of his back yard—it just wasn’t that important—til his neighbor started up a machine that interrupted his morning solitude! Ed could stand it no longer and got on his stool and looked over the fence at a brand spankin’ new pressure washer. He was amazed at how his neighbor’s fence looked new after a good pressure wash.

As he waved him over, a split in his fence had Ed crashing to the ground. His neighbor ran quick to see if he was OK and it was then Ed, rather sheepishly, admitted his yard was truly in disrepair and how much was it to buy this new machine that made it look new?!

Little did Ed know that his neighbor was delighted—but didn’t show it! Ed’s yard was so filthy and in despair it made everyone else’s property around him look bad as well. The neighbor quickly said, “You can borrow mine, I’ll help you get it going.” After a few lessons, Ed did several hours of spraying and was he amazed at the transformation of his old fence—it looked almost new!

The neighbors (along with his wife who had been prodding him to clean up for years and would no longer set foot on the front or back porch) praised his work and to their amazement—Ed didn’t stop there. He used it on the eaves, the drab dirty brick walls, etc. He repaired broken steps, the fence, and even the porch swing. It all looked so good!

The outcome of the power-wash was a renewed friendship with the neighbors (and it helped a lot with his marital relations). Was it because it wasn’t broken and dirty anymore? I don’t think so. I think while Ed was cleaning his home he himself was transformed with something that looked nice, instead of decaying and that changes your perspective because it changes your emotions and it gives joy to your heart and soul.

That takes me back to my own disrepair. It’s easy to lapse in places, usually its attitudes that gets hit first, then reactions when someone doesn’t like your attitude! God is also one of those “someones” because you are God’s child made in God’s image and God doesn’t make junk!

So God addresses our areas of disrepair even when we don’t ask for it. Does God apply pressure—yes indeed. It is painful—yes indeed! Scraping off “moldy and ugly” hurts and it hurts God to have to do it. But we have to be thankful God does the dirty work because we would sit on our broken porches until the rotted floors gave way and then we would be more than hurt in our emotions and attitudes!

God wants our hearts to be open and willing to his wisdom, leading—his “repair.” When we are open, we find the power-wash a wonderful refreshing newness to start our day, and we have a sense of purpose with an inner joy that was tarnished in our spiritual disrepair.

What to do when you’re sulking, broken, and in need of repair? For me, I ask God “am I out of line with your will” and the answer is clear, even if I don’t like it. That’s when I go to the Holy Spirit and ask for rains of mercy, grace and a refreshing for my body, soul and mind. Then I can honestly look in the mirror and see not band-aids on my disrepair, but a full makeover—repaired inside and out, ready to live joyfully in my life’s faith-walk.