“They don’t make ‘em like they used to!” That would be true. In the last few years it seems my family has replaced every appliance in our house. We were not doing a kitchen remodel or anything. They simply wore out- one after the other. It became almost comical if it were not so sad.
We looked into fixing some of our appliances, but it seemed that it was more cost effective to go and buy new ones. So one at a time, we kicked the old appliances to the curb. Hopefully, the new ones will last a long time, and we will not need to replace anything soon.
We take that mentality with many parts of life. If something is not working, we don’t look to fix it, but just get rid of it. It seems easier just to move on and not look back.
A few years back I saw a billboard that read: “Life is short, get a divorce.” That is the throwaway culture mentality. It tells us that it is not worth the effort to try and fix something. It is not worth the time or money to work towards a solution.
It is not just in marriage, but also in the church. A person gets upset at an issue in the church, and so they leave and go the church down the street. We don’t work through things. We just simply move on.
In all these situations, we simply exchange old problems for new problems. There is a reason that people who get a divorce and remarry, typically get divorced again. There is a reason that people who leave one church and go to another church will end up going to yet another church.
In life, there is always something shiny and new. But the what is shiny and new today will be old and rusty tomorrow. The grass on the other side of the fence might be greener. But if you treat the grass on the other side of the fence like you treat your grass, it will end up just as brown.
When you commit to something for the long-haul, recognize breakdowns will happen. It might get messy. There will be difficult days. But recognize that what you have, might be worth fixing and putting in the hard work.
There is one word that sums all this up: FAITHFULNESS. It is to stick with something when others would give up. It is one of the truest measures of spiritual depth and maturity. Because we are always hoping from one thing to another, we never go deep. We never experience true intimacy with other people or with God.
When we think the answer is to quit, we forget the real answer is God. We miss out on the opportunity to experience the full power of his salvation. While it may seem more appealing to give up and move on, we miss out on lasting satisfaction and intimacy with God.
We see no better example of FAITHFULNESS, than in God’s love for us. He didn’t give up on us. He didn’t just simply move on. He did the hard work to fix what was broken. It came at a tremendous cost. But God knew you were worth it.
Questions for Reflection
- What are some areas in your life that need fixing?
- How would you define spiritual depth?
- What are the rewards of faithfulness?
- Share your comments.
Tammy says
“There is a reason that people who get a divorce and remarry typically get divorced again.” Maybe this comment is a bit simplistic? I would bet there are as many different reasons as there are marriages and remarriages, or at least half as many. Not everyone who ” got divorced” chose to be divorced. My wounds were reopened a bit by this comment but in general I overwhelmingly love your insight. Thank you for sharing the gift God has given you.